The offseason is the time of big moves.
The Boston Bruins are no strangers to big moves. The 2025 trade deadline highlighted their lack of trepidation regarding trades when they dealt their captain, Brad Marchand, to the Florida Panthers. Heavy.com has proposed a trade deal involving Pavel Zacha to the Utah Mammoth, which would open up their books to a bigger deal down the line.
Bruins Acquire:
- 2026 3rd round pick
Utah Mammoth Acquire:
- Pavel Zacha (No Salary Retained)
Trading away Zacha for draft capital makes sense for a few reasons. The Fourth Period reported that the Bruins could look to shop him, and listed Utah as an interested party. Zacha would provide the Mammoth with center depth and open up the Bruins to acquire Jean-Gabriel Pageau.
Pavel Zacha Has Been Linked in Trade Discussions Before
The Fourth Period has Zacha listed at number 16 on their 2025 Summer Trade Watch List.
“The Bruins explored the trade market on Zacha during the season,” The Fourth Period reports. “And there is belief out there that Boston is looking, again, at moving him. His 10-team no-trade list turned into an eight-team list July 1, so he does have some say in where he ends up, if dealt. He has two years remaining on his contract.”
As an asset, the 28-year-old center carries value. Zacha has two years remaining on a four-year contract paying him $4.75 million for this year and the next. With the salary cap rising to $95.5 million this season, a middle-six center for that price point provides playoff-bound teams with an intriguing trade option.
With his 10-team no-trade list becoming an eight-team no-trade list, it becomes easier for the Bruins to find the best suitor.
Utah Mammoth has the Means to Acquire Zacha
Two teams were connected to Zacha in The Fourth Period’s report: the Mammoth (as mentioned above) and the Vancouver Canucks. While the Canucks would need to send some salary back to the Bruins (or execute a separate trade) to make a trade work, the Mammoth don’t need to balance their books before striking a deal.
According to PuckPedia, the Mammoth presently has $6,682,143 in salary cap space. This gives them the room to take on Zacha’s full $4.75 price tag.
The Mammoth also has the resources to strike a deal. They have 10 draft picks for the upcoming 2026 NHL Entry Draft, with six of those coming in the first three rounds.
In recent memory, Evander Kane was traded to the Canucks from the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for a fourth-round pick. Kane is in the final year of his contract, which would make him a rental.
Considering that Zacha has two years left on his contract, any trade before July 1st of 2026 should warrant a return that is greater than a fourth-round draft pick. In this situation, a third-round pick appears reasonable.
Bruins Open Up Cap Space to Acquire Pageau
The Fourth Period has also reported that New York Islanders forward Pageau is of interest to the Bruins. Unfortunately for Boston, his salary exceeds the available space.
PuckPedia has the Bruins’ available cap space as a sliver over $2 million. Pageau has a cap hit of $5 million for the 2025-26 season, the last year of his current contract.
The Bruins’ reported interest in Pageau could stem from his proficiency in the faceoff dot. He was second on the Islanders in total faceoffs taken (988) and first in faceoff win percentage (59.6 percent).
Across the NHL, Pageau is second in faceoff win percentage to only Claude Giroux (61.5 percent) out of forwards who have taken at least 500 draws.
Pageau finished the 2024-25 season with 42 points in 79 games while averaging 17 minutes a night. Zacha ended the year with 47 points, averaging 19:04 across all 82 games.
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