After the Boston Bruins struggled to begin the 2025-26 season under first-year head coach Marco Sturm, there were trade rumors surrounding center Pavel Zacha. Was general manager Don Sweeney going to trade one of his top pivots or hold onto him? There were also rumors surrounding Casey Mittlestadt as well.
There were trade rumors surrounding both players going back to the summer. There is a need around the NHL to this day for centers, and not enough are available for teams. Zacha is on a very team-friendly contract with an AAV of $4.75 million that runs through next season. With the salary cap situation going up, it is easy to see why teams were looking to acquire him.
However, after struggling early, Boston has turned things around and is right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race with 14 games remaining. Now, whether they are good enough to be one of the eight teams in the East to get into the postseason remains to be seen. If they do, it could be because of Zacha.
Bruins Pavel Zacha continues to prove his worth
Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make. That is the case with Zacha. In Boston's 3-2 overtime loss to the Montreal Canadiens, Zacha tallied both goals and nearly won the game in overtime on a breakaway. The two goals give him 22 on the season, which is a career-high. It's the third time in four seasons in Boston that he's eclipsed the 30-goal plateau.
"Good teammates, (Zacha)'s staying with it. But he's just feeling it this year," Sturm said. "He's been very good. I give him the support, we give him the support."
Zacha has been playing on the Bruins' best line as of late with Viktor Arvidsson and Mittelstadt. It's been said before and should be stated again: where would Boston be without this line? Now, Zacha's first goal was on the power play, where the Black and Gold have been struggling, and the second was off a perfect pass from Arvidsson, where Zacha redirected it into the net.
Boston's playoff hopes rest on the final 14 games. If they are going to get into the postseason, Zacha will have to add to his career-high in goals. To think, just a few months ago, there were trade rumors surrounding him. Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make.