Bruins Reward Pavel Zacha By Giving Him Contract Extension

BOSTON — The Boston Bruins are keeping Pavel Zacha with the organization for the long term.

The Bruins, on the heels of a thrilling victory Saturday night over the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden, announced they signed Zacha to a four-year contract extension with an annual cap hit of $4.75 million. Zacha is now signed through the 2026-27 season.

Zacha signed a one-year deal with the Bruins this past offseason after the franchise traded for him following seven seasons with the New Jersey Devils. In 42 games with the Bruins thus far, the versatile forward recorded five goals and 20 assists for 25 points to go along with a plus-11 rating.

“When I got the news that I was going to be traded here in the summer, I was hoping that I was going to show myself and will be able to be here for a long time and I’m happy that it happened,” Zacha said. “It’s a start, you know. It’s my first season and I have to prove myself and show why I’m here and why I’m going to be here for a longer time. It’s just super exciting for me to be part of this.”

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said the contract extension came together quickly.

“I think we made it pretty clear when we first had the opportunity to bring Pavel on board that we thought highly of him, and we were hopeful that he’d be a part of our future,” Sweeney said. “… With the situation, we found common ground pretty quickly on a one-year deal, and then it sort of allowed us to explore at the right time.

“As you all know, every deal kind of has its own cadence and timeline and we’re fortunate to come to a fairly quick agreement and be happy. Certainly happy to have him be a part of our organization, not just this year, but moving forward.”