Category: Sports News

Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron elected to 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame class originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

One of the best players in Boston Bruins history is headed to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

Former Bruins center and captain Patrice Bergeron, who played 19 years for the franchise from 2003-04 through 2022-23, has been elected to the Hall of Fame’s 2026 class.

The Hall of Fame announced Monday its new class that includes Bergeron, Pekka Rinne, Carey Price and Keith Tkachuk. The induction ceremony is in November.

Longtime Bruins captain and star defenseman Zdeno Chara was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.

Bergeron is arguably the best two-way forward in NHL history. He won the Frank J. Selke Trophy — given annually to the league’s top defensive forward — a record six times. He also scored 20-plus goals 14 times and finished with 1,040 points (427 goals, 613 assists) in 1,294 career games.

Bergeron helped the Bruins make the playoffs 15 times in his 19 seasons, including three trips to the Stanley Cup Final and the team’s only championship (2011) since 1972. He scored two goals in Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final against the Vancouver Canucks. The B’s won 4-0 on the road to secure their sixth title.

In addition to his accolades with the Bruins, Bergeron also enjoyed a lot of success for Team Canada in international competition.

He won two Olympic gold medals (2010 and 2014) and a World Championship (2004). He is one of 30 players in the Triple Gold Club — at least one Stanley Cup title, Olympic gold medal and World Championship gold medal.

The Bruins announced last week that Bergeron’s No. 37 will be retired to the TD Garden rafters next season.

The St. Louis Blues’ involvement in trade rumors continues to grow, with the most recent link connecting them to Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson. 

According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, he’s hearing that the Blues are “sniffing around” in trade discussions involving Pettersson. 

“Somebody told me this morning that St. Louis is sniffing around Pettersson,” said Dhaliwal. “I’m looking into it to see if it’s true. The way it’s been told to me is if the Canucks think they have a deal for Pettersson that makes sense for them, I am sure they will then take that deal to Pettersson’s agents, J.P. Barry and Pat Brisson, to see if Pettersson will waive.”

The reports are interesting to say the least. While trading for Pettersson would have its benefits, as it truly gives the Blues a strong one-two punch down the middle of the ice, Pettersson is now 27 years old and carries a contract worth $11.6 million for six more seasons. 

The Blues would need to drastically alter their lineup to become contenders, and unless they do so, trading for Pettersson would only upgrade their roster marginally, and not enough to compete with the best teams in the Central Division, like the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, and even the Utah Mammoth. 

27 is not old in the slightest, but by the time the Blues are ready to compete again, Pettersson could be trending towards the downswing of his career, which brings plenty of risk. 

Top Four NHL Center Trade Candidates Of 2026 Off-SeasonWho are the top four centers who could be traded this summer during the 2026 NHL off-season?

Add to the fact that the two worst seasons of his NHL career have come in his last two campaigns, and it brings another element of uncertainty and risk. 

The Canucks are open to retaining some of Pettersson’s salary, which does soften the blow of making such a monumental move.

In addition to the Blues, the Detroit Red Wings and Los Angeles Kings are reportedly interested in Pettersson, while other teams around the NHL could explore trade options once a price tag becomes clearer. 

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Should Bruins trade or extend Pavel Zacha? Weighing pros and cons originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Bruins have to make a decision on Pavel Zacha at some point over the next year.

The veteran forward has one more season left on his contract. He can become an unrestricted free agent in July of 2027.

The B’s need to determine whether it makes sense to give Zacha an extension or consider trading him.

The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported last Friday that the Bruins are “listening” to teams that call about Zacha.

“There’s a big difference between listening and wanting to move him, though,” LeBrun wrote.

“My understanding is that the Bruins’ top priority this summer is to extend Zacha if possible. That can happen as of July 1. He’s got one year left on his deal at a $4.75 million AAV and obviously will be looking for a raise after posting career bests with 30 goals and 65 points this past season. But how those talks go will be balanced with whether teams step up in a real way in trade talks.

“This is an intriguing situation to monitor, to say the least. So many teams are looking to upgrade at center, and some of them have called over the past week or so. Zacha has a no-trade list that allows him to say no to eight teams, and I’m told he submitted that list to Boston on April 1.”

Does it make more sense for the Bruins to trade Zacha or extend him? Let’s break down the pros and cons.

The case for trading Zacha

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The list of unrestricted free agent centers who could be available July 1 is pretty weak. In fact, if Zacha was a free agent this summer, he’d easily be the best center on the market. Boone Jenner is probably the best center who can be a UFA in July, and Zacha is absolutely better than him.

Centers are highly coveted. It’s a very important position. And with not many good ones seemingly available, it might make sense for the Bruins to capitalize on Zacha’s value because it might never be higher, especially when you consider he’s coming off a fantastic season in which he tallied career highs of 30 goals and 65 points.

The Florida Panthers traded forward Mackie Samoskevich to the Seattle Kraken last week in exchange for a 2026 first-round pick (No. 25 overall) and a conditional second-round pick. Samoskevich had a career-high 32 points last season — less than half of Zacha’s output. He’s also six years younger than Zacha, but the B’s forward is easily a better player right now.

That kind of package would be too low of value for Zacha. There’s zero point in trading him for future assets (like a late first-round pick) unless a team like the Winnipeg Jets, who need a second-line center, was willing to give up the No. 8 pick in this year’s draft. The No. 8 pick could allow the B’s to draft a potential franchise defenseman.

If trading Zacha could fetch a veteran right-shot defenseman with offensive skill, that would be worth considering as well. The Bruins desperately need another legit top-four defenseman on the right side of the blue line. If the B’s could trade Zacha as part of a package for a better center, that would be worth exploring, too. Red Wings captain and No. 1 center Dylan Larkin reportedly has requested a trade.

One argument for trading Zacha is if you don’t think it makes sense to give him a long-term extension with a potential salary cap hit in the range of $7-8.5 million. Charlie Coyle just signed for six years at $6 million per season with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It wouldn’t make sense for Zacha to take a penny less than that. Zacha is five years younger and more productive offensively than the 34-year-old Coyle.

Zacha has been a reliable 20-plus goal scorer for Boston, but he’s only hit the 30-goal mark once and he has scored only two goals in 31 career playoff games between the Bruins and Devils. He has consistently underwhelmed in the postseason.

Another reason to trade Zacha would be looking at the landscape in the Eastern Conference and determining the Bruins are unlikely to contend with teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres. But after making the playoffs this past season, it doesn’t seem that the B’s want to take a step back, even if that would make the most sense long term.

If the Bruins could upgrade at center in a Zacha trade, or acquire a lottery pick that would get them a top prospect, it should be considered.

The case for keeping and extending Zacha

The Bruins are already thin at center. Taking Zacha off the roster makes one of the team’s most glaring weaknesses even worse.

If Elias Lindholm was producing at a real top-six center level, then it would make more sense to cash in on Zacha’s value after his great season. But Lindholm, who signed a seven-year, $54.25 million deal just two years ago, has been a major disappointment.

Zacha is the Bruins’ best center. He centered a line with Casey Mittelstadt and Viktor Arvidsson — a trio which, according to MoneyPuck, ranked fifth in goals scored per 60 minutes (4.21) among all lines that played 350-plus minutes last season.

So if the B’s traded him without finding a comparable player or an upgrade at the position, it would make the offense worse next season.

Young forwards James Hagens and Fraser Minten have a ton of potential and could be top-six centers in the near future. But they aren’t performing to that level right now, and there’s no guarantee they will ever reach that level. If Hagens and/or Minten do reach their potential, the B’s could always slide Zacha into a third-line role.

Zacha has averaged 21 goals and 57 points in his first four seasons with the Bruins. He’s a reliable player. He’s not elite, but his floor is higher than most forwards on the roster. A healthy Zacha can be penciled in for 20-30 goals and around 60 points. That’s valuable for a team like the B’s that lacks a ton of offensive firepower.

Any extension for Zacha that carries a cap hit between $7-8 million wouldn’t be an albatross given how much the salary cap is supposed to rise over the next few years. He shows no signs of slowing down. He’s also very durable and hasn’t missed more than four games during any of his four seasons in Boston.

The biggest reason to keep Zacha is to contend with the core of David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy and Jeremy Swayman. Many of Boston’s best players are in the win-now stage of their careers:

• Morgan Geekie, LW, 27 years old
• Jeremy Swayman, G, 27
• Charlie McAvoy, D, 28
• Pavel Zacha, C/W, 29
• David Pastrnak, RW, 29
• Elias Lindholm, C, 31
• Nikita Zadorov, D, 31
• Hampus Lindholm, D, 32
• Viktor Arvidsson, LW, 33 (UFA this summer)

Trading Zacha for draft picks and/or prospects — assets that won’t make the 2026-27 roster better — does not give Pastrnak/McAvoy/Swayman the best chance to win in the short term.

Verdict

Keeping and extending Zacha makes the most sense for the Bruins unless they can trade him in a package for a better center or acquire a top 10 pick. He’s a good two-way player with enough versatility to be productive at center or on the wing.

The Ottawa Senators shook the NHL to its core on Father's Day, trading away their captain, Brady Tkachuk, to the Florida Panthers in exchange for the 9th overall pick, the 25th overall pick, a 2029 first-round pick, and a 2027 second-round pick.

The move ranks among the most seismic trades in recent memory. Tkachuk had two years left on his contract and was slated to hit free agency in 2028.

One Year After Noah Dobson, Another NHL Franchise Makes A Blockbuster Draft-Week TradeThe Florida Panthers shook the hockey world by acquiring Brady Tkachuk, sparking a sibling reunion and setting a high bar for value ahead of the draft.

There had always been noise about Tkachuk maybe not wanting to commit to Ottawa, or wanting to leave via free agency in 2028.

Publicly, Tkachuk always said the right things, declaring loyalty to Ottawa as its captain.

Still, behind closed doors, Tkachuk reportedly remained uncertain. According to Elliotte Friedman, when Senators General Manager Steve Staios met with Tkachuk and his camp following the end of this season to gauge interest in extending, there wasn't certainty.

The uncertainty was something Ottawa could not live with, and they quietly began exploring the market for him.

Tkachuk holds a full no-move clause, so he handpicked the usual suspects-Florida, Vegas, Minnesota, and Carolina-with almost everyone involved knowing he wanted to unite with his brother Matthew in Florida.

Staios received a massive haul for Tkachuk, setting Ottawa up to immediately acquire a game-changer to keep their opening window of contention going.

It's something out of an alternate universe for the New York Islanders.

Back in 2016, the Islanders had just won their first playoff series in over 20 years. The vibes were great, and the team felt like they were on an upswing.

That summer, talk quietly began in Canadian markets, specifically Toronto and Montreal, about John Tavares becoming a massive free-agent target in two years' time.

At the time, the New York Islanders dismissed it and kept trying to build upon the success of the 2015-16 season.

Tavares had a no-move clause, which was modified to a no-trade clause that kicked in on July 1, 2016.

Then, in 2016-17, the team missed the playoffs. The Islanders had one year until Tavares hit free agency. When then-general manager Garth Snow presented options, Tavares refused to commit to the Islanders. 

Publicly, Tavares said everything right. Behind closed doors, uncertainty grew. Tavares had a list of teams he would accept a trade to; there's no question.

Unlike Ottawa, the Islanders took their chances, hoping a strong 2017-18 season would convince Tavares to stay.

Instead, the team regressed even further. They held two first-round picks for the 2018 draft entering the season, thanks to the Travis Hamonic trade with the Calgary Flames at the 2017 Draft.

So, with renewed optimism and assets to dangle, the Islanders hoped 2017-18 would go well.

It did not. The Islanders were not in contention for the playoffs most of the season, but hung around just enough to leave a little doubt.

At the 2018 trade deadline, Tomas Tatar went for a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round picks. Evander Kane went for a 1st and a 4th. Ryan Hartman went for a 1st, 4th, and a prospect. 

Paul Stasney, the top center dealt on deadline day, went for a 1st, 4th, and a prospect.

Seven first-round picks changed hands at the 2018 deadline, with teams eager to wheel and deal.

The Islanders stood pat, and just months later, John Tavares walked away for nothing.

It was a total catastrophe for the Islanders, one that could've set the Islanders back for a very long time.

If not for a pair of Hall of Famers arriving that same summer in Lou Lamoriello and Barry Trotz, the Islanders could've seen their young core featuring the emerging Mathew Barzal, Brock Nelson, Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, and more all go to waste.

While it all ended up working out ok for the Islanders, it's still worth thinking about what could have been had the Islanders stockpiled assets for Tavares, a player who would've fetched the Islanders two first-round picks and more just at the 2018 deadline, let alone a year or two in advance of free agency.

Ottawa, with their trade of Brady Tkachuk yesterday, claimed complete control of the situation this entire summer. 

No leaks, no hints this was coming.

Just a quiet, efficient business that ends with three first-round picks to go out and get a different playmaker, one who wants to make it work in Ottawa.