Pavel Zacha's Bruins future uncertain as four rival teams reportedly circle

Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney is doing what he can to keep Pavel Zacha in black and gold, but the veteran center's comments at training camp suggested things are far from settled, essentially framing the outcome as out of his hands and squarely in his general manager's court.

The 29 year old is finishing a four year, $19 million contract and can hit unrestricted free agency next summer.

According to Sportsnet insider Nick Kypreos, the Bruins are in a tough spot with Zacha, and four teams have reportedly been watching closely as things play out.

Nashville, Columbus, Philadelphia and Montreal have all been mentioned as clubs keeping tabs on the situation, and Boston will eventually have to choose between locking him up on a long term deal worth roughly $9 million a season or waiting to see how the year starts before deciding on a trade.

Zacha is coming off a career year, posting 30 goals and 65 points last season, numbers that make it clear why so many teams would happily add him to their middle six.

Nashville has been aggressive under new general manager Chris McFarland and could use more depth down the middle after a busy offseason of changes.

Columbus is bracing for the possible departure of pending free agent Kirill Marchenko and would welcome Zacha as a ready made replacement, while Philadelphia and Montreal have both been searching for extra scoring punch up front.

The Canadiens already added Chris Kreider this offseason, but pairing him with another proven veteran like Zacha would only make Montreal a tougher out come playoff time.

For now the decision sits with Boston.

If the Bruins stumble out of the gate, expect Zacha's name to dominate trade deadline chatter across the league.

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