Newly acquired Bruins center Pavel Zacha files for salary arbitration originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The NHLPA announced Sunday that 24 players have elected salary arbitration, and one of them is Boston Bruins center Pavel Zacha.
The B's acquired Zacha from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for veteran forward Erik Haula last Wednesday.
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Pavel Zacha trade: What Bruins fans need to know about versatile forward
Zacha is a restricted free agent. His contract with the Devils that expired after the 2021-22 season was a three-year deal worth $6.75 million ($2.25 million salary cap hit). His base salary in 2021-22 was $3 million, per CapFriendly.
Salary arbitration hearings are scheduled to commence July 27 and run through Aug. 11. Even though Zacha has elected for arbitration, both sides are still able to negotiate a deal and come to an agreement before his hearing. It's not uncommon for players to sign a new contract before their hearing.
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The Bruins currently have $4.75 million in cap space, per CapFriendly. It's a pretty small amount of room, especially when you consider that Boston still has to sign Zacha, Patrice Bergeron and maybe even David Krejci.
