Pavel Zacha and the Boston Bruins head into training camp with three real names sitting in trade rumors, and Zacha tops that list.
General manager Don Sweeney has been working the phones for weeks, and Boston isn't expected to re-sign Zacha once this season ends.
Zacha put up 65 points last season, 30 goals and 35 assists in 78 games, on a $4,750,000 cap hit with an eight-team no-trade clause attached.
Talks with New Jersey, Edmonton, Chicago, Detroit, and Anaheim all happened this summer, but Boston wasn't satisfied with any of the returns on the table.
Mason Lohrei is the second name, and his situation nearly resolved itself before camp even opened.
Lohrei, who posted 26 points in 73 games on a $3,200,000 cap hit, reportedly came close to heading to Edmonton in a swap for Darnell Nurse.
Detroit also circled Lohrei as part of a possible package for captain Dylan Larkin, an idea that never quite got over the finish line.
Why Matthew Poitras is running out of runway in Boston
Poitras is the third name, and his path got a lot narrower after playing just 3 games and posting 1 point last season.
Fraser Minten scored 35 points in 82 games and James Hagens has already flashed in a small sample, and both have passed Poitras on the depth chart.
Some teams reportedly floated the idea of an offer sheet for Poitras, but nothing close to that has actually materialized.
Boston did add pieces too, bringing in JJ Peterka after his 47-point season and Will Borgen to stabilize the back end.
Head coach Marco Sturm inherits a group that finished 45-27-10 last year, good enough to matter, but not deep enough to just sit on all three unresolved situations quietly.
That's a quiet offseason on paper, but it doesn't erase the reality that Boston has three real trade chips sitting unresolved this close to camp.
If Zacha's no-trade clause and Lohrei's contract status don't get settled soon, expect these rumors to follow Boston straight into the regular season.
Should the Bruins trade Pavel Zacha before he walks for nothing?
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