"They want to keep him around": NHL analyst states Bruins unlikely to part ways with Pavel Zacha despite Canucks interest

Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha has been scouted by the Vancouver Canucks as a possible trade piece in the last few months. The Canucks have suffered injuries to Filip Chytil and Teddy Blueger, and are looking to add to their roster depth.

According to Pierre LeBrun on the Insider Trading segment on TSN's broadcast on Tuesday, the Bruins aren't likely to trade Zacha. The Boston management is expected to offer the 28-year-old a new contract next July, when he becomes eligible for an extension.

"There's no question, as sources confirmed, that the Vancouver Canucks did indeed reach out to the Boston Bruins in the summer to gauge interest and to see if he was available," LeBrun reported. (1:05) "But what I'm being told in terms of the Boston Bruins is that they view Pavel Zacha as a long-term fit. "He only has another year in his deal after this year, but don't be surprised if they try to extend him this summer. They look at him at 28 years old as being age-appropriate for this transition of their roster, the retool, whatever you want to call it, but they feel he fits in very well and they want to keep him around."

Zacha is signed to a four-year $19 million contract by the time which is set to expire at the end of the 2026-27 season. Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman had reported on Saturday that the Canucks weren't on the eight-team no-trade list that Zacha had attached to his contract.

The Czech professional has turned out to be too valuable for the Bruins to let go. In 19:04 of average ice time per game last season, he scored 47 points in 82 games. He has had a bright start in 2025-26 as well, scoring 10 points in 12 games on the Bruins' second line.

NHL insider predicts Elias Pettersson's continued form could ease center search

Heading into the season, the biggest question surrounding the Vancouver Canucks was whether their top two centermen, Elias Pettersson and Filip Chytil, could produce strong performances. While Chytil's concussion injury has come at an unfortunate time, Elias Pettersson has scored 8 points in 11 games while helping out defensively.

As per insider Frank Seravalli speaking on the Bleacher Report's Insider Notebook, the Canucks might not need a trade if their decent start to the season translates into sustained results.

"They've also gotten some better games from Elias Pettersson of late as well," Seravalli said. (21:15) "That part has been a big boost because if Pettersson can get back to the 100-point, maybe even 50-goal level as we've seen from him in the past as a true dedicated bona fide number one center in the NHL. "I don't see any reason why some others can't pick up the slack below him. It takes a ton of heat off that Vancouver Canucks center search."

The Canucks lost J.T. Miller and Pius Suter via trade last season. Since then, they have been actively looking to replace the loss in production. They have a 5-6-0 record to start this season.

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Edited by R. Nikhil Parshy