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Pavel Zacha

Boston Bruins Extend Pavel Zacha

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As soon as they put the finishing touches on a statement win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Boston Bruins announced a contract extension for Pavel Zacha. The four-year deal will carry a cap hit of $4.75MM and keeps Zacha under contract through 2026-27.

Zacha, 25, was acquired from the New Jersey Devils in an offseason trade last summer and agreed to a one-year, $3.5MM deal as an RFA. That would have walked him right to unrestricted free agency at the end of the season, and after a great performance so far, earned a serious extension.

The defensive forward has fit in nicely for the stingy Bruins, adding 25 points in 41 games. That has him on pace to set a new career-high (his previous is just 36), though only five of them are goals.

His scoring talents have become secondary over the years though, as Zacha refined his defensive game more and more. He can now be deployed on any line, at any point in the game, and help tilt the ice in the Bruins favor.

While it is certainly no guarantee that continues, the Boston front office must believe he can be a core piece moving forward. The Bruins have a massive contract negotiation still pending with David Pastrnak, which will eat up a ton of cap space moving forward.

Luckily, there’s plenty of money coming off the books even with Zacha signed. Nick Foligno, Craig Smith, Tomas Nosek, Chris Wagner, Anton Stralman, and Connor Clifton are all pending UFAs, not to mention Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci who are going year-to-year at this point.

With Zacha in place, the team still has more than $20MM to work with as they try to rebuild the roster for next season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Atlantic Notes: Zacha, Sabres, Edmonds

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Although the Bruins weren’t able to get Pavel Zacha signed to a multi-year deal, GM Don Sweeney recently told reporters in a press conference (video link) that they did try to get one done before ultimately settling on a one-year, $3.5MM agreement, one that will walk the 25-year-old to the open market next summer.  Sweeney indicated that they have already stated their intention to Zacha’s camp to work out an extension on the contract that they just signed.  However, they’ll have to wait until January before they’ll be permitted to do so.  Zacha will be entering his first year with Boston after being acquired from New Jersey last month and is projected to center their third line behind Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

Elsewhere in the Atlantic:

  • While the Sabres were hoping that prospect defenseman Ryan Johnson would turn pro after development camp, Lance Lysowski of the Buffalo News reports that the blueliner has informed Buffalo that he’ll go back to college for his senior season. The 21-year-old was the 31st pick in 2019 and had 19 points in 39 games for the Minnesota Golden Gophers last season.  If he doesn’t sign with Buffalo and becomes a free agent next August, the Sabres would receive the 31st pick of the second round in the 2024 draft as compensation.
  • Also from Lysowski’s article, he relays that the immigration issue that prevented prospect Alexander Kisakov from participating in development camp has been resolved, paving the way for him to attend training camp next month. Kisakov had 62 goals over the past two years in Russia’s junior league and is expected to play with AHL Rochester next season.
  • The Lightning attempted to sign prospect winger Lucas Edmonds as a free agent last season but they weren’t allowed to as Central Scouting ruled he had to go through the draft, notes Joe Smith of The Athletic (subscription link). Instead, Tampa Bay traded up on the second day of the draft to select the 21-year-old in the third round (86th overall).  Edmonds led the OHL in assists with 79 last season and finished third in points with 113 and the team has already since signed him to his entry-level deal.

Boston Bruins Avoid Arbitration With Pavel Zacha

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With Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci now officially signed, the Boston Bruins are almost complete for the 2022-23 season. Pavel Zacha sits as the team’s only unsigned restricted free agent, with an arbitration date set for Thursday. It appears as though they will not need that hearing after all, as the Bruins have signed Zacha to a one-year, $3.5MM contract.

Because he has already completed six seasons in the NHL, a one-year deal for Zacha would take him directly to unrestricted free agency next summer at the age of 26. The 2015 sixth-overall pick was acquired by the Bruins in a trade for Erik Haula this offseason, after he put up a career-high 36 points in 2021-22.

A $3.5MM cap hit is actually equal to the base salary for both Bergeron and Krejci combined, showing just how team-friendly those bonus-laden deals are, and how strong an arbitration case Zacha had after developing into a consistent two-way presence the last few years. While he never did become the top-six center that many believed he could be when drafted, his versatility, defensive acumen, and size make him a nice piece for the Bruins to move around this year.

While this deal does technically move the Bruins over the salary cap, for the time being, they have plenty of flexibility with several key players injured to start the year. That doesn’t necessarily rule out an offseason move to free up some additional space (the Bruins will receive a short buyout window now that Zacha’s arbitration case has been settled) but it isn’t required, as Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand could be moved to long-term injured reserve as they recover from summer surgery.

Marchand’s absence, in particular, could mean a nice opportunity for Zacha, depending on how things play out, as the team’s left wing depth is quite impressive when everyone is healthy. Whether he can reach new offensive heights remains to be seen, but the big forward will at least get the chance to prove he deserves a long-term UFA contract as the Bruins try to contend for the Stanley Cup for at least one more Bergeron-led season.

PuckPedia broke the contract details on Twitter.

2022 Arbitration Tracker

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The dates for the upcoming arbitration hearings have been set, with the first one scheduled for July 27. Hearings will continue through August 11 this year, with that being the busiest day of the schedule. It is important to note that the CBA agreement in 2020 changed the rules for arbitration so that once a hearing begins, teams are no longer allowed to negotiate with the player in question.

The full schedule is:

July 27
Isac Lundestrom (Anaheim Ducks) – Settled: 2 years, $1.8MM AAV

July 29
Jesse Puljujarvi (Edmonton Oilers) – Settled: 1 year, $3.0MM

July 30
Kasperi Kapanen (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Settled: 2 years, $3.2MM AAV
Matthew Phillips (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 1 year, $750K AAV (two-way contract)

August 1
Mathieu Joseph (Ottawa Senators) – Settled: 3 years, $2.95MM AAV
Steven Lorentz (San Jose Sharks) – Settled: 2 years, $1.05MM AAV

August 2
Yakov Trenin (Nashville Predators) – Awarded: 2 years, $1.7MM AAV

August 3
Jesper Bratt (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 1 year, $5.45MM AAV

August 5
Andrew Mangiapane (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 3 years, $5.8MM AAV

August 6
Miles Wood (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 1 year, $3.2MM AAV

August 7
Kailer Yamamoto (Edmonton Oilers) – Settled: 2 years, $3.1MM AAV

August 8
Ethan Bear (Carolina Hurricanes) – Settled: 1 year, $2.2MM
Lawson Crouse (Arizona Coyotes) – Settled: 5 years, $4.3MM AAV
Zack MacEwen (Philadelphia Flyers) – Settled: 1 year, $925K

August 9
Maxime Lajoie (Carolina Hurricanes) – Settled: 1 year, $750K (two-way contract)

August 10
Keegan Kolesar (Vegas Golden Knights) – Settled: 3 years, $1.4MM AAV
Oliver Kylington (Calgary Flames) – Settled: 2 years, $2.5MM AAV

August 11
Mason Appleton (Winnipeg Jets) – Settled: 3 years, $2.167MM AAV
Morgan Geekie (Seattle Kraken) – Settled: 1 year, $1.4MM AAV
Tyce Thompson (New Jersey Devils) – Settled: 2 years, $762.5K AAV (partial two-way)
Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) – Settled: 8 years, $9.5MM AAV
Jake Walman (Detroit Red Wings) – Settled: 1 year, $1.05MM
Pavel Zacha (Boston Bruins) – Settled: 1 year, $3.5MM

Bruins And Pavel Zacha Making Progress On Contract Talks

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While Pavel Zacha filed for arbitration earlier this month, it appears that there’s a good chance that his case won’t come to a hearing.  The center’s agent – Darren Ferris of Quartexx – told Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) that a new deal for his client “should be completed in short order”.

Boston acquired the 25-year-old from New Jersey just hours before free agency opened up earlier this month in exchange for Erik Haula.  Zacha hasn’t been able to live up to his draft billing as the sixth-overall selection in 2015 but he has shown improvement over the last couple of seasons and is coming off a year that saw him collect 15 goals and 21 assists in 70 games with New Jersey; his 36 points were a career-high.

That was good enough for Boston to acquire and qualify him at a $3MM cost although that number is likely going to go higher on his next contract.  Zacha is in his final season of RFA eligibility since he already has six seasons of service time under his belt so it stands to reason that the sides are working on a multi-year agreement at this point which would at least give them a bit of depth down the middle.

It would also give them the cost certainty needed to move forward with the rest of their offseason planning.  The Bruins have stated their interest in re-signing Patrice Bergeron if the soon-to-be 37-year-old is open to returning for a 19th NHL season.  They’ve also been in talks with David Krejci about bringing him back to North America.  But until Zacha’s deal gets done, GM Don Sweeney won’t know what exactly he has left in cap space.

Either way, it won’t be much.  CapFriendly currently projects Boston to have $4.758MM in cap room, the bulk of which will go to Zacha.  Not surprisingly, Sweeney acknowledged earlier this month that if Bergeron and Krejci return, it will need to be on a low-salary deal with performance bonuses.  They will likely need to clear out a contract as well, even with several veterans (Brad Marchand, Charlie McAvoy, and Matt Grzelcyk) likely to start the year on LTIR.  Ferris also told Conroy that there’s “lots going on” so a Zacha contract may be the domino that gets things going on the rest of their offseason moves.

24 Players Elect Salary Arbitration

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The National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA) announced that 24 players have filed for player-elected salary arbitration, the deadline for which came this afternoon. This list is not necessarily the final and complete list of players headed for arbitration, with clubs now eligible to elect salary arbitration until tomorrow, July 18th at 5:00 pm ET.

Mason Appleton (WPG)

Ethan Bear (CAR)

Jesper Bratt (NJD)

Lawson Crouse (ARI)

Morgan Geekie (SEA)

Mathieu Joseph (OTT)

Kaapo Kahkonen (SJS)

Kasperi Kapanen (PIT)

Keegan Kolesar (VGK)

Oliver Kylington (CGY)

Maxime Lajoie (CAR)

Steven Lorentz (SJS)

Isac Lundestrom (ANA)

Zack MacEwen (PHI)

Niko Mikkola (STL)

Andrew Mangiapane (CGY)

Matthew Phillips (CGY)

Jesse Puljujarvi (EDM)

Tyce Thompson (NJD)

Yakov Trenin (NSH)

Vitek Vanecek (NJD)

Jake Walman (DET)

Kailer Yamamoto (EDM)

Pavel Zacha (BOS)

Notably out of this list, Mikkola had previously filed for arbitration, but the two sides were able to settle on a one-year, $1.9MM contract that will leave the defenseman an UFA after next season.

A key distinction to add is that any player who has filed for arbitration is no longer eligible to sign an offer sheet, effectively taking the players on this list off the market. Three notable names that did not file for arbitration are Winnipeg Jets forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, Calgary Flames forward Matthew Tkachuk and Columbus Blue Jackets forward Patrik Laine. Though contract talks have been quiet on Dubois and Tkachuck, word of amicable discussions between Laine’s camp and Columbus has been made known. Once tomorrow’s club-elected salary arbitration deadline passes, teams and players will have time to prepare their cases before hearings begin, running from July 27th through August 11th.

Boston Bruins Acquire Pavel Zacha

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The Boston Bruins have made a move but it isn’t an unrestricted free agent coming to town. Darren Dreger of TSN reports that the Bruins have acquired Pavel Zacha from the New Jersey Devils. Zacha is a pending restricted free agent, and eligible for salary arbitration after his current three-year, $6.75MM (total) contract expires. Erik Haula is headed back the other way.

With another double-digit goal season under his belt–Zacha scored 15 goals this season after 17 in 2020-21–that potential arbitration award would have been rather pricey, and any multi-year deal would have been buying out UFA years.

Haula, on the other hand, has just one year remaining on his contract and carries a cap hit of $2.375MM. The Devils, who are in the mix for one (or more) of the biggest free agents available, will now have more money and more roster flexibility to use.

Boston, meanwhile, has now found another young(ish) forward to slot into the middle-six that can provide some secondary scoring and a strong defensive presence. Zacha does have plenty of experience at center, though he was deployed as a winger for much of this season.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that he hails from Czechia, just like David Pastrnak and the returning David Krejci. While that doesn’t mean he’ll find a new level, it will at least present some familiarity as he makes the transition to a new team.

Now the question is how much Zacha will cost for the Bruins, and where they find the cap space for all of the pending contracts. Patrice Bergeron and Krejci are both expected to finalize deals in the coming days, meaning this will only further limit the cap space available for general manager Don Sweeney today.

Devils Notes: Top Draft Pick, Bratt, Zacha, Goaltending

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Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald met with reporters (video link) earlier this week and indicated that he’s open to moving their first-round pick in an effort to expedite their return to the playoffs:

I said this two drafts ago, when we had the three first-round picks, I’m open to whatever can help our team improve. If that is using a pick like that, wherever it may be, to help bring in a player that we know, and feel, will help impact the results that we are looking for, absolutely.

It has been a tough run as of late in New Jersey with the team missing the playoffs for four straight years and not recording a victory in a postseason series in the last ten seasons.  Along the way, they’ve had a pair of number one draft picks in Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes while adding Dougie Hamilton in free agency last summer.  If they truly are open to dealing away their top pick (where it falls will be known on Tuesday with the draft lottery), they should be able to land another significant addition. Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek suggests that one possibility could be Minnesota’s Kevin Fiala, who the Devils have previously expressed interest in.

More from Fitzgerald’s comments:

  • Winger Jesper Bratt highlights their list of restricted free agents and Fitzgerald indicated their intention is to work out a long-term deal with the 23-year-old. Bratt is coming off a career season where he led the Devils in scoring with 26 goals and 47 assists in 78 games, making his $2.75MM cap hit quite a bargain.  He’s owed a $3.3MM qualifying offer (120% of the AAV is lower than his $3.45MM salary this season) but also has arbitration rights.  Whether it’s a long-term contract or one awarded by an arbitrator, Bratt will be getting a significant raise for next season.
  • Another RFA of note is Pavel Zacha. The forward had a career-best 36 points in 70 games this season and is a year away from UFA eligibility.  Fitzgerald suggested that he wants “to see where some of the ducks fall on how we want to build out this team” before deciding on whether or not Zacha still fits in their plans.  The 25-year-old is subject to the old qualifying offer rules and will need to be tendered a $3MM offer to match his salary from last season to retain his rights.  If New Jersey decides to move on, Zacha could be one to watch for on the trade front in the coming weeks.
  • Fitzgerald confirmed the desire to add another NHL-quality goaltender to the ranks. Mackenzie Blackwood is currently slated as their starter and Jonathan Bernier may or may not be ready for the start of next season as he works his way back from hip surgery.  While carrying three NHL-caliber netminders isn’t something that’s appealing for most teams, New Jersey’s situation is one where going that way certainly makes a lot of sense.

Metropolitan Notes: Zacha, Hartsburg, Malkin

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The Devils are receiving some interest in forward Pavel Zacha, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports in his latest 32 Thoughts column.  The 24-year-old is on pace for a career season offensively and has 22 points in 45 games this season while splitting time between center and the wing.  New Jersey’s top two spots down the middle are more or less set for the better part of the next decade so it’s certainly understandable why some teams may be sniffing around.  Zacha has one season of RFA eligibility remaining and will be able to file for arbitration this summer.  He’s subject to the old rule for qualifying offers which means his $3MM salary is what he’ll need to be offered to maintain his rights.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • The Blue Jackets have brought back Craig Hartsburg, he revealed in a podcast for the team’s website (audio link). Hartsburg spent parts of six seasons in Columbus over two separate stints, spending time as both an assistant coach and a scout.  Now, he’ll work with the team roughly once a month for a week at a time.  The 62-year-old has plenty of NHL coaching experience and has stints as the head coach in Chicago, Anaheim, and Ottawa in the past.
  • Penguins center Evgeni Malkin is officially listed as a game-time decision for Sunday’s game against New Jersey but he is expected to return, notes Mike DeFabo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He was placed in COVID protocol just after the All-Star break and it appears he won’t be missing any more time than the minimum five days.  Between that and injuries, the pending UFA has played in just a dozen games this season although he has been productive when he has played, notching 13 points.

New Jersey Devils Sign Kyle Shapiro To ATO

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The New Jersey Devils were in trouble when they were forced to put both Akira Schmid and Mackenzie Blackwood in the COVID protocol. The only other healthy goaltender in the entire organization was Jon Gillies. While he’ll get the start tonight, his backup will be Kyle Shapiro, who has signed an amateur tryout contract.

Shapiro, 28, is an assistant coach with the NAHL’s New Jersey Titans and serves as a regular emergency backup for the Prudential Center. He played four seasons of Division III college hockey, three of them with the University of Southern Maine and one with New England College. If forced into action, it would be his first competitive game since the 2017-18 season.

It’s not all bad news for the Devils though. The team has also activated Nathan Bastian, Andreas Johnsson, Yegor Sharangovich, and Pavel Zacha from the COVID protocol. Colton White has also been recalled from the taxi squad. All five players are available to play tonight, giving the team a little bit of a boost as they take on the New York Islanders.

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