It's no secret that the Montreal Canadiens are looking to upgrade their top-six — at 2C specifically — although the market at the position has been notoriously slow all summer long. But with training camps less than a week away, that market is starting to heat back up.
One player the Habs are reportedly interested in bringing to Quebec is Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha, who is fresh off his worst season in Beantown — and they aren't the only ones.
“The Canadiens definitely have interest in Zacha and have inquired about him, but they're not the only team,” an NHL source told RG's James Murphy earlier this week. “Several teams — I’m told the Flames are one — continue to express interest in him.”
Despite remaining in trade speculation, the Bruins aren't shopping the 28-year-old, who has two seasons left on his contract.
“[Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney] is not shopping him,” another source explained to Murphy. “This is just him doing his job and listening. I don’t see this as something that would happen before American Thanksgiving. If the Bruins get off to another brutal start and the Holiday trade freeze is looming, well, then this could become a lot more than just listening, but that goes for other Bruins players too, not just Zacha.”
The Canadiens are reportedly willing to dangle Joshua Roy, Oliver Kapanen and Jayden Struble in their quest to acquire a second-line center, whether Zacha or another impactful forward. Currently, Kirby Dach is set to occupy that position, although he's battled injury and inconsistency during his tenure in Montreal.
Bruins and Canadiens — unlikely trade partners?
The idea of the Canadiens and Bruins teaming up on any kind of trade is hard to believe. The two bitter Atlantic Division rivals haven't made a swap that involved a roster player since February of 2001, per Murphy.
“That was the day defenseman Patrick Traverse was traded from the Bruins to the Canadiens in exchange for defenseman Eric Weinrich.”
It's expected that Boston will be a better team than the one that finished 33-39-10 and tied for last place in the Eastern Conference in 2024-25. Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy are both expected to be back and healthy, while Casey Mittelstadt, Viktor Arvidsson and Tanner Jeannot were brought in to help improve the club this summer.
As for the Canadiens, they have some cap space to work with after trading Carey Price's contract to the San Jose Sharks. The front office is currently working with just over $4.5 million ahead of the 2025-26 season, per PuckPedia.
General manager Kent Hughes isn't in a rush to add another player, Murphy reports, but if Zacha is made available at some point he would certainly be inquiring.
It'll be interesting to see if Bruins GM Don Sweeney ends up legitimately considering moving on from the Czech Republic native — and whether it will result in the first non-draft-pick trade between Montreal and Boston in nearly 15 years.
