{"id":453389,"date":"2026-02-10T16:34:22","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:34:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/453389\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T16:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T16:34:22","slug":"bruins-need-zacha-healthy-to-hold-onto-playoff-spot-the-hockey-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/453389\/","title":{"rendered":"Bruins Need Zacha Healthy to Hold Onto Playoff Spot – The Hockey Writers –"},"content":{"rendered":"

The injury bug continues to plague the Boston Bruins in 2025-26. In the final games leading up to the Olympics break, both their top centers <\/a>went down with upper body injuries. Elias Lindholm<\/a> sustained an injury on Jan. 27, midway through the second period, during the team\u2019s 3 \u2013 2 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators. Pavel Zacha\u2019s<\/a> injury occurred during the following game against the Philadelphia Flyers, a 6 \u2013 3 victory.<\/p>\n

Related: 3 Factors Contributing to Bruins\u2019 Successful January<\/a><\/p>\n

Losing one of these players would be a huge loss for the Bruins, losing both could be potentially devastating for their playoff hopes. With the recent news that Zacha will now be missing the Olympics<\/a> for team Czechia, there is naturally worry that he could still be absent when Boston takes the ice again on Feb. 26 against the Columbus Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n

Zacha has been a highlight of the season, and an important part of the team\u2019s success so far in 2025-26. His absence would be sorely felt by the team if he is out long term.<\/p>\n

Zacha\u2019s Performance in 2025-26<\/p>\n

Since his arrival in Boston in the summer of 2022, Zacha has been a significant part of the forward group for the Bruins. He went from being a guy who never got over 40 points in a season for the New Jersey Devils, to registering 57 points in 82 games his first season in the black and gold.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"PavelPavel Zacha, Boston Bruins (Amy Irvin<\/a> \/ The Hockey Writers)<\/p>\n

So far in 2025-26, Zacha has 15 goals and 37 points in 54 games. Prior to his injury, he was on pace for 22 goals this season, which would surpass his previous career high of 21, which he reached in 2022-23 and 2023-24. He\u2019s currently tied for fourth on the team in points (with Lindholm) and has the fourth most shots on goal by anyone on the roster.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond the points, Zacha has been important in the faceoff circle. He has 337 faceoff wins, second to Lindholm, and has a 52.2% win percentage, above his career average 49.1%. His presence on the faceoff was missed in the Bruins last two games before the break, the team only winning 42.6% of faceoffs against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The team performed better against the Florida Panthers, winning 52.1%, but it will be a big issue if the team starts constantly fluctuating like that in faceoffs when the season resumes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Like most of the team, Zacha has played much stronger in 2025-26 then he did last season. He registered his first career hat trick on Jan. 10 in the Bruins\u2019 10-2 victory against the New York Rangers. He\u2019s come up clutch on major moments, like his overtime winner with six seconds left against the Ottawa Senators back in November. He\u2019s put in valuable minutes on both the power play and the penalty kill, helping the team have the third best power play in the league at the moment. <\/p>\n

Given his play and his very affordable contract, multiple teams have expressed interest in Zacha, further highlighting his skill and performance this season. He\u2019s left a positive impression on the Bruins\u2019 roster and gained praise from around the league.<\/p>\n

What Happens if the Injury is Long Term?<\/p>\n

It is heartbreaking for Zacha that he will no longer be able to participate in the Olympics. It is an experience that means so much to the players and the opportunity only comes every four years, and while it is likely he will have the opportunity to participate in 2030, you can never be a hundred percent certain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond the sadness that he\u2019s not able to go to the Olympics, there also has to be concern about the effect a potential long-term absence could have on the remainder of the Bruins\u2019 2025-26 season. Not much is known right now beyond the fact that he\u2019s unavailable to play for the next two and half weeks while the Olympic tournament is under way. Hopefully he will be ready to go against the Blue Jackets on Feb. 26, an important match up since Columbus is only four points back from the Bruins for the second wild card playoff spot in the East.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If not, the Bruins will need to get great performances out of their young centers like Marat Khusnutdinov, Fraser Minten, and Matthew Poitras<\/a>. So far, all three have played well<\/a> this season, but they will need more out of them, particularly in the faceoff circle. Poitras, who was called up<\/a> from the Providence Bruins in the American Hockey League (AHL) after Lindholm went down, had a goal and seven shots in three games, but only won four out of his 12 faceoff opportunities. It\u2019s not bad, but is an area that will need to be built upon if he sticks around during a long term injury.<\/p>\n

\"FraserBoston Bruins forward Fraser Minten and defenseman Mason Lohrei celebrate Minten\u2019s game winning goal against the Vancouver Canucks in overtime (Bob Frid-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

Bruins\u2019 GM, Don Sweeney, may also need to consider bringing someone in at the trade deadline if he\u2019ll be out long term. Boston is in a precarious position because they\u2019re not good enough to go all in at the deadline, but if they want to return to the playoffs again this season, they\u2019ll probably need another center if Zacha will be out beyond the Olympics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If they go the trade deadline route, there are some options at the center position of guys who are in down years and may just need a change of scenery. These guys could be available on the cheaper end (though the majority of deadline deals tend to be lopsided in favor of the seller than the buyer no matter what). Brayden Schenn could be a potential if the St. Louis Blues retain salary or Ryan O\u2019Reilly from Nasville, who is signed through next season with a $4.5 million cap hit.<\/p>\n

Returning to NHL Play<\/p>\n

Zacha will not be an easy player to replace for the Bruins if he remains out when the NHL season resumes. There are some potential options that may be available at the trade deadline to replace him and help the team secure their playoff spot, including guys who have another season or two on their current contract and won\u2019t be a complete rental player.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But while it would be great to see the Bruins make the playoffs again this season, the best course of action may just be to sit pat and let things play out how they\u2019ll play out. This has been a streaky team all season. While they\u2019ve had flashes of greatness, they haven\u2019t shown enough to believe that they\u2019ll be legitimate contenders even if they reach the postseason. <\/p>\n

Related: 3 Keys to the Bruins Making the 2026 NHL Playoffs<\/a><\/p>\n

Next season though, things could be interesting for the Bruins. Their top players are locked in, and they have exciting prospects who may push for a roster spot, including first round selections James Hagens and Dean Letourneau who were recently named nominees<\/a> for the Hobey Baker Award along with another prospect, Ryan Walsh, and Will Zellers, who is coming off a solid performance at World Juniors. The Bruins should also have some decent cap space this summer with the rise in the salary cap, giving them a chance to bring in another solid defenseman or a scoring threat on offense.<\/p>\n

If Zacha\u2019s injury keeps him off the ice for a significant amount of time, the best course of action may just be to let the kids play and see what happens from there. Khusnutdinov and Minten have shown great improvements over the course of 2025-26, and Poitras is due for a legitimate NHL opportunity and chance after a good AHL performance so far. They also have other guys like Georgii Merkulov and Dans Locmelis who should be considered for an NHL opportunity.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The playing time and development of young players is more important at this moment than going all in to make the playoffs this season. If they make it, awesome. If they don\u2019t, the team has a lot to be excited about for the future and should be a legitimate contender in the next few seasons if they can continue to develop the young players they\u2019ve acquired in the last two years.<\/p>\n

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