Pavel Zacha keeping focus on the present amid trade rumors, contract talks

Pavel Zacha knows the drill. His name has popped up in trade rumors frequently throughout his career, both in Boston and when he was a Devil.

As Zacha embarks on his 11th full season in the NHL, all those rumors have led to just one actual trade so far – the one that sent him from New Jersey to the Bruins in exchange for Erik Haula back in 2022.

Whether there's a second trade at some point this season remains to be seen, but it's certainly understandable why the rumors are swirling.

The 29-year-old Zacha is in the final year of his contract and could become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Despite mutual interest in an extension and ongoing dialogue, the Bruins and Zacha's camp have not found common ground yet. If that remains the case as this season's March 1 trade deadline approaches, the Bruins would have a decision to make. Losing Zacha for nothing after the season would be a disaster, especially if Boston is not a legitimate Stanley Cup contender.

The Bruins know they have a few months before this really becomes a pressing issue, but that won't stop them from exploring potential trades now if the opportunity arises. So, it wasn't shocking to see a report from The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun Wednesday morning that Zacha's name "came up in conversations between the Boston Bruins and Columbus Blue Jackets when the Bruins inquired about Kirill Marchenko."

Marchenko, the speedy 26-year-old winger who is also in the final year of his contract, wound up going to the Toronto Maple Leafs instead in a trade that sent Matthew Knies the other way. Marchenko then signed a six-year, $75 million extension ($12.5M AAV) with the Leafs.

Zacha, who has an eight-team no-trade list, was not aware of the talks with Columbus until Wednesday when The Athletic's report came out.

"I didn't really know about it until today," Zacha told WEEI.com. "I don't really go look up my name that much, don't have any social media. I mean, there's going to be these talks when I'm not re-signed yet here. I think these trade talks have been in a talk for me for a year and a half now."

Zacha is right about that last part. In fact, it was right around this time last year that Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that the Vancouver Canucks were trying to acquire Zacha.

The Bruins held on to Zacha then, and all Zacha did was go out and have the best season of his career, posting career highs in goals (30) and points (65) while centering a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson that was one of the NHL's best.

This season has not gotten off to as good of a start so far. Arvidsson moved on over the summer, signing with the Detroit Red Wings as a free agent. Zacha and Mittelstadt remained together to open the year, but neither has recorded a single point through four games.

Coach Marco Sturm split them up during Monday's loss to the Ottawa Senators, and they remained on different lines at Wednesday's practice. Zacha was now slotted between David Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie on the first line, while Mittelstadt slid down to the third line with Elias Lindholm and James Hagens.

Zacha is not panicking. He has also been around long enough to experience cold stretches and how to get out of them.

"I think you want to help the team win," Zacha said. "I think if you see we're scoring two goals in [two] games, you want to be that guy to help the team. But on the other hand, it's still start of the season. I've played in the league for a while, so I know there's ups and downs with points. All you can control a little bit is if you play good, if you create chances, it's gonna come eventually. Every season has ups and downs a little bit with points. I just need to find a way to be creating and not get frustrated with it and just keep going that way."

Zacha has also learned how to block out the trade rumors and keep his focus on the task at hand.

"It's been like that with Jersey for two years when I was there, and then the last basically three years here, it's been trade talks almost every year for me," Zacha said. "It's funny – if you're underperforming, there's trade talks about you. If you're overperforming, there's trade talks. If you're on a winning team, if you make it far in the playoffs, there's going to be less trade talks because the team needs you. So, if we can get there, get to the playoffs and go from there, it's going to be more successful, less trade talks for my name. So, that's one of the things that me staying off the internet and social media helps me kind of – I didn't even know there was that thing with Columbus."

Zacha has been consistent in saying that he wants to stay in Boston, where his wife, Gaby, is from. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Penelope, in April. They have other family in the area.

That doesn't mean Zacha is going to take a hometown discount, though. His next contract will almost certainly be the biggest payday he'll ever get; any player would want to maximize the opportunity.

As part of his report Wednesday, LeBrun wrote that the Bruins "had some sticker shock in June when they heard what the player might be looking for," and that they "are worried about a long-term commitment and how it will age."

But as LeBrun also noted, NHL contracts have exploded in value even just since the summer, so June's "sticker shock" number might not be quite as shocking now.

Zacha remains hopeful that an extension, and not a trade, will get done eventually.

"Yeah, I think it's one of the things that, I'm playing here this year. I hope that for the sake of the team and everybody, it's gonna work itself out," he said. "Everyone knows that I like to play here. My family's from here. I'm just trying to focus on playing here, whatever happens here. Of course, as I said before, it's the same thing: Boston knows where we stand, and just go from there."