Bruins Scooped By Maple Leafs on Zacha Blockbuster Trade with Blue Jackets

The Boston Bruins’ future with Pavel Zacha is unresolved, and NHL insider Pierre LeBrun says it could go either way. In a recent column for The Athletic, LeBrun offered up the latest news he had on the Zacha situation, noting that there was almost a blockbuster trade between the Bruins and the Columbus Blue Jackets that would have involved Kirill Marchenko.

---

LeBrun reports that Zacha’s name surfaced in conversations between the Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets when Boston inquired about Kirill Marchenko. No deal materialized. Instead, the Blue Jackets held out and acquired Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs, landing a younger player signed long-term on a great contract.

Zacha, meanwhile, only has one season remaining on his current deal at $4.75 million. After this year, he’ll be a pending UFA.

Zacha Might Have Been Traded If Not For His Contract

The Blue Jackets wanted a difference-maker that had cost control. In Zacha’s case, he’s a useful piece but the Blue Jackets had no way of knowing if he’d lock in after this season. They couldn’t risk losing their top goal scorer in Marchenko for a player who could walk after the 2026-27 season.

That doesn’t diminish Zacha, whom LeBrun called a really good player. This is a trade that could still happen, especially if the Bruins struggle this season.

Bruins and Zacha Aren’t Close on an Extension

LeBrun says the Bruins haven’t been close with Zacha’s camp over the past three months on an extension, and he believes they had some sticker shock in June when they heard what the player might want. He suspects that number looks less daunting now, with salaries rising around the league.

The sides are still talking, so an extension remains possible. In the meantime, other teams are calling. “So few centers ever become available,” LeBrun noted.

Age is a factor. Zacha is 29, and LeBrun thinks Boston is wary of a long-term commitment and how it will age, perhaps made more cautious by the Elias Lindholm contract already on the books.

The timeline is the key point. If the Bruins aren’t in a playoff spot near the March 1 trade deadline and Zacha hasn’t signed, LeBrun says, “you know how it ends.”

Next: NHL Trade Talk Recap: Maple Leafs, Flyers & Oilers Mystery?