Going into the offseason, there is no doubt that changes are coming for the Boston Bruins. As to which changes occur, well, that remains to be seen. There have been a handful of Bruins players who have been linked to being potentially traded before, but nothing big was done this season.
One of those players who had trade rumors surrounding him last summer and early this season, when Boston struggled out of the gate, was center Pavel Zacha. It was understandable why teams would have an interest in him as a veteran pivot, but it was hard seeing general manager Don Sweeney actually trading him.
However, the trade chatter surrounding him again this offseason will likely grow in the coming weeks. Arpon Basu of The Athletic discussed some potential trade targets for the Montreal Canadiens this summer, and Zacha was one of the names he mentioned.
The Athletic believes that Bruins center Pavel Zacha is a fit this summer for the Canadiens
“One example of a player who might be available for a trade is Boston Bruins centre Pavel Zacha, with one year left on his contract at age 29. A left shot to complement Nick Suzuki, strong in the faceoff circle and able to play on both special teams, Zacha would be a great fit,'' wrote Basu.
He makes a good point. However, there is really no way that many people, if any, could see a scenario where Sweeney trades Zacha to the Montreal Canadiens. I mean, the return from the Habs would have to blow Sweeney away. There is not much of a package that could be put together that would cause Sweeney to all of a sudden consider a trade to Montreal for Zacha.
If we're being honest here, this summer, it would be surprising if Sweeney actually traded Zacha this offseason. An extension is more likely in the cards than a trade. Zacha is the player who can play in all situations for Marco Sturm and thrive in all of them.
There are likely going to be some trades this summer, and some interesting names might end up going, but Pavel Zacha to the Montreal Canadiens is the least likely of all of them to happen.
