The Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins rarely, if ever, come together to make a trade.
This offseason saw the two Original Six rivals strike a deal at the draft, though it was just an exchange of picks, with no players or prospects involved.
We haven’t seen a legitimate player swap between the Canadiens and Bruins since all the way back in 2001, though perhaps that could change moving forward.
Montreal is searching for a second-line center, and some believe Boston is willing to move on from a guy who fits that mold in Pavel Zacha. With that being the case, Caleb Kerney of Heavy Sports has proposed a trade where the Habs would acquire Zacha for a package of Arber Xhekaj and Oliver Kapanen.
Canadiens receive: Pavel Zacha
Bruins receive: Arber Xhekaj, Oliver Kapanen
“This trade would be a significant transaction for both teams. The Canadiens would get their center (unless Sidney Crosby magically becomes available), and the Bruins would get a great young defender who could be a versatile asset. The Canadiens would acquire Zacha, 28, in this proposal. The 6-foot-3, 208 lb forward was initially drafted sixth overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2015 draft. He recorded 47 points in 82 games for his third season with the Bruins,” Kerney wrote.
“In this trade pitch, the Bruins add the physical blueliner, Arber Xhekaj. The 24-year-old was an undrafted prospect who has 165 regular season games of experience under his belt. The 6-foot-4, 240 lb left-handed defender recorded six points and 118 penalty minutes this last season,” Kerney added.
The 28-year-old, Zacha, has two years remaining on the four-year, $19 million contract extension he signed with the Bruins in 2023, while Xhekaj is entering the final season of the two-year, $2.6 million extension signed with the Canadiens in 2024.
Is Zacha really available?
While Pavel Zacha could be a solid trade target for the Montreal Canadiens, the question is whether the Boston Bruins are truly shopping him.
Jimmy Murphy of RG Media’s recent report suggests that the Habs have indeed reached out with interest in Zacha, but that the Bruins aren’t looking to move him at this point in time.
The Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames, among other teams, have shown interest this offseason in Bruins forward Pavel Zacha, but the Bruins aren’t interested in selling… yet.
Full report from @Murphyslaw74https://t.co/OWCvM1fenQ
— RG (@TheRGMedia) September 11, 2025
Murphy’s source goes on to mention that how Boston fares through the first few months of the season will be the ultimate decider in the future of Pavel Zacha and several other veteran players on the roster.
The Bruins will be an interesting team to follow in 2025-26. Was last season just a down year or a sign of things to come? That’s what everyone is wondering, including the front office itself.
