Boston Bruins sign Pavel Zacha to four-year contract extension
The Boston Bruins have signed forward Pavel Zacha to a four-year contract extension, the club announced Saturday evening.
Zacha, 25, has five goals and 25 points in 42 games with the Bruins to start the 2022–23 season, his first with the team. His new deal extends through 2027 and carries a $4.75 million annual cap hit.
Some postgame news for you.
The #NHLBruins have signed Pavel Zacha to a four-year contract extension.
📰: https://t.co/lzZMiSeiLm pic.twitter.com/Ov4vGBOMzE
The Bruins announced Zacha’s new deal less than an hour after the end of their 4–3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden in Boston. Zacha did not record a point in 15:32 during the game.
The New Jersey Devils originally selected Zacha in the first round (No. 6 overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft. The 6’4″, 199-pound center spent parts of seven seasons with the Devils to start his career, helping the club reach the playoffs in 2018, before being traded to Boston in 2022.
The Bruins acquired Zacha from New Jersey last July in exchange for forward Erik Haula, who has two goals and 19 points in 42 games during his first season with the Devils. Both players were set to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the 2022–23 season; now, only Haula remains without a contract beyond this year.
Through 428 career games over parts of eight NHL seasons with New Jersey and Boston, Zacha has amassed 74 goals and 204 points. He did not record a point in five 2018 Stanley Cup Playoff contests with the Devils.
With Zacha now signed long-term, the Bruins can now fully shift their focus to their other pending unrestricted free agents. That vast group includes team captain Patrice Bergeron, veteran center David Krejci, and (most importantly) superstar winger David Pastrnak.
The Bruins (33–5–4) will return to action on Monday when they play host to the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.