NHL insider offers differing intel on latest Bruins rumor

The Bruins could trade Pavel Zacha. Given his importance to their team along with his term, though, it's entirely possible that the Bruins decide that this is not the year to move Zacha out of town. Or, they could do the complete opposite and actually extend him, according to one NHL insider.

Speaking on TSN's 'Insider Trading' segment last week, Pierre LeBrun seemingly threw cold water on the first spicy rumor of the B's new season, which suggested that Zacha could be on the outs in Boston.

"What I’m being told is that the Boston Bruins view Pavel Zacha as a long-term fit," LeBrun reported. "He has another year on his deal after this year, but don’t be surprised if they try to extend him this summer. At 28 years old, they look at him as being age-appropriate for this roster transition, and they feel he fits in very well and would like to keep him around."

With two goals and 12 points through 14 games this season, Zacha is currently paced for what would be a career-best 70 points this season. (His previous career-high is 59 points, set during the 2023-24 season.) He's also proving himself to be an incredibly valuable weapon from both a contract standpoint at just $4.75 million, and is carrying the Black and Gold's second line this season.

There's also a legitimate case to be that the Bruins – who have lost, traded, or walked away from Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci, Tyler Bertuzzi, Jake DeBrusk, and Brad Marchand in the last two years alone – cannot afford to let more talent leave town without set replacements on deck and ready to go.

At the same time, however, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has recently shown a willingness to 'sell' if the prices are right. He did exactly that last deadline when Sweeney was willing to move on from both Brandon Carlo and Charlie Coyle (two players who, like Zacha, had term on their deals) via trade.

And the Carlo comp is an interesting one, especially given what LeBrun noted as a reason as to why the Bruins might not be willing to move on from Zacha.

See, when the Bruins moved on from Carlo, he was... 28 years old.

And it wasn't like the Bruins didn't value what Carlo brought to their blue line. They just realized that the return was too good to pass up, and that the trade package sent back to the Bruins (Fraser Minten and a top-five protected first-round pick in 2026) was going to outweigh Carlo's value on his current contract and his next deal, which would surely come with a raise.

Zacha may put the Bruins in a similar pickle this season, really, especially with a trade market that may set him up as the top prize down the middle. Or, at the very least, second to only Nazem Kadri. (Sidney Crosby could blow all of this up, but he's seemingly made it clear he has no desires to leave Pittsburgh, and the Penguins are winning games out of the gate this season.)

And if there's a team out there downright thirsty for Zacha – the Canucks look like that team right now, for what it's worth – it's going to even harder for the Black and Gold to not hear 'em out. As much as they may love Zacha.

But as LeBrun noted, it may all come back to where the Bruins see themselves.

If the Bruins are ahead of schedule as an on-the-fly retooler (or whatever term you prefer), then sure, Zacha's a fit for beyond his current contract. But if the team is still stuck in the mud, or not as close to being back to contender status as they'd hope, then there's really not much of a debate to be had.

The good news for the Bruins, however, is that either path only benefits them as long as Zacha continues to produce at his current clip.