Bruins GM Don Sweeney would like to be ‘proactive’ in getting Pavel Zacha signed, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be traded

Sport admin June 25, 2026 0 Comments

Bruins GM Don Sweeney would like to be ‘proactive’ in getting Pavel Zacha signed, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be traded

Is veteran center Pavel Zacha trade bait or a long-term hold for the Bruins?

The answer at this hour: possibly somewhere in between.

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney closed out his news conference Wednesday, ahead of the NHL Draft (Friday-Saturday), by saying he’d like to be “proactive” in signing Zacha, 29, to a contract extension.

However, Sweeney also framed comments about Zacha by noting the league’s ongoing “trade noise” and made it sound like other clubs will ask — or have asked — if he would be willing to part with the 6-foot-4-inch pivot.

“I can’t control those things,” said the GM. “Teams are going to ask me.”

Zacha was the club’s most productive (30-35–65) center last season and is about to enter the final season of the four-year, $19 million deal he signed here in January 2023. He can be dealt to all but eight of the 31 other teams in the league, per his contract restrictions.

Get Starting Point

A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.

Enter Email

“My goal is to extend [Zacha’s contract],” said Sweeney. “He had a really good year. He’s an important player for us, a big part of our team.”

Flashback to June 1993, when GM Harry Sinden was emphatic that popular goalie Andy Moog remained a big part of the club’s future, less than a week before it was announced that Moog was wheeled to Dallas for netminder Jon Casey.

The Bruins remain very much in need of a bona fide No. 1 center. If the right guy is made available, Sweeney may have no choice but to surrender Zacha to get the deal done.

Zacha, originally a New Jersey first-round draft pick, thrived under first-year Bruins coach Marco Sturm, who decided in last September’s training camp to use the Czech standout exclusively as a centerman. Previous coaches employed Zacha at center and wing, playing a part in holding down his production. He thrived last season in the center-only environment, particularly when Sturm slotted him between Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson.

In the league’s charged, evolving financial environment, Zacha could command upward of a $9 million-a-year cap hit on a longer-term deal of six years or more.

Sweeney refused to offer details regarding contract negotiations with regard to a handful of AHL Providence players, including former first-round choice Fabian Lysell. He said talks have continued on new deals for defenseman Andrew Peeke and Arvidsson. If left unsigned, both will hit the UFA market next Wednesday.

Arvidsson, home in Sweden, talked with Sturm by telephone Wednesday.

“Arvy’s good,” said a smiling Sturm during his visit to the club’s practice facility. “Just hung up with him. He’s building his kids a treehouse today.”