By: Jake Ferraro | Follow me on Twitter/X @18Jxxx18
Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney will have work to do at the 2026 trade deadline to make his team better. This National Hockey League season, the Bruins have seen hot and cold stretches, but currently hold the Eastern Conference’s first Wild Card seed with 68 points. For this season’s trade deadline, the Bruins are in a tough position.
The Bruins can either buy at the right cost to try and make a run at a Stanley Cup, or sell the right pieces to build for the future while still having a chance to make the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. So far, the Bruins have retooled well and have built right for the future by owning four first-round draft picks over the next two years. In a recent Bleacher Report article by Adam Gretz, two Bruin forwards were heavily mentioned. Gretz wrote an article titled “Goals for Every Team at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.” The goals that Gretz wrote for the Bruins were “make decisions on Casey Mittelstadt and Pavel Zacha.” Gretz asked two questions regarding Mittelstadt and Zacha:
“Are they long-term pieces?”
“Or do they have more value as trade chips?”
Those are two valid questions that surround both Mittelstadt and Zacha as the trade deadline gets closer. The Bruins are going to have to make a decision whether or not Mittelstadt and Zacha are worth keeping or trading. Both players will be unrestricted free agents after next season ends. Of the two players, Mittelstadt might be less of a long-term player for the Bruins than Zacha.
For a player making $5.75 million per year, Mittelstadt has disappointed this season for the Bruins. Mittelstadt has recorded 27 points in 46 games. Mittelstadt finished January on a high note by recording a three-point game on this past Thursday against the Philadelphia Flyers, but scored two goals for the entire month.
After being traded by the Colorado Avalanche to the Bruins last season, Mittelstadt hasn’t been as consistent as the Bruins would’ve hoped for in his first full season with the team. Trading Mittelstadt could be an idea for Sweeney to try to free up salary or acquire a better forward.
For Zacha, he may be one the Bruins need to keep long-term over Mittelstadt. Since being traded to the Bruins in 2022, Zacha has found his game after struggles with the New Jersey Devils. Zacha has recorded 200 points in 296 games as a Bruin during his tenure. Zacha’s salary per year of $4.75 million is fair for his production. This season, Zacha is third on the Bruins with 15 goals, and his 37 points are tied for fourth on the team. Zacha missed the Bruins’ last game, which was the 2026 Navy Credit Federal Union Stadium Series last night. Zacha will also miss the Bruins’ final game before the Olympic break in two nights against the Florida Panthers, but injuries haven’t been a major concern since he’s been in Boston.
“Both players are useful,” Gretz said. “Both players are signed through the end of next season. But neither is a major needle-mover as a cornerstone player.”
Gretz may be right about Mittelstadt not being a cornerstone player at 27 years old, considering he’s been traded twice since the 2023-24 season. At 28 years old, Zacha has been a staple of the Bruins since the 2022-23 season and has produced well in Boston. Zacha has recorded at least 47 points in every season in Boston, and has nearly hit 60 points in a season twice.
The Bruins could likely get better value in return for Zacha over Mittelstadt if they were to make a trade. If the value for either player is too good for Sweeney to pass up, then a trade to build a stronger team may need to happen.
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