One Bruins contract that carries tremendous value for GM Don Sweeney

Eight games into the 2025-26 season, things are not going well for the Boston Bruins. On a five-game losing streak, the Black and Gold are a team that could easily bury themselves in the Eastern Conference standings before we get to November.

Last year, the Bruins were sellers at the trade deadline, and it wouldn't be surprising to see them have to go down that road again. If they do, there are some players that contenders would be interested in. One player who would draw some interest is Pavel Zacha for a number of reasons.

Pavel Zacha listed as having the Bruins most interesting contract

Zacha was the subject of trade rumors this summer, and if the Bruins bottom out again this year, then it wouldn't be surprising to see the rumors return. Why? Zacha has a team-friendly contract with a manageable AAV, while also having two years left on it. Rory Boylen of SportsNet listed Zacha's deal with the Bruins as the most interesting contract.

"There are two years remaining on Zacha's contract, but what's interesting is how movable it is. Zacha makes just $4.75 million against the cap, is capable of playing centre or wing, produces enough to be a second-line contributor or excellent third liner, plays in all situations, and is still in his prime at 28 years old. If the Bruins recover and hang in the playoff race, Boston is more likely to keep him, but if they are sinking to the bottom of the Atlantic again, GM Don Sweeney may seek out future assets from a contending team that would find plenty of value in Zacha,'' wrote Boylen.

Zacha would be a nice addition to a contender's lineup as depth that can play in all situations. Sweeney might not see him as part of a rebuild that is going to take a couple of years, and getting assets for him is the road that Sweeney could go down in March.

Giants Say Saquon Barkley is Still Same Threat Despite Sluggish 2025 Start

Blame the Madden cover curse, Super Bowl hangover, or the offensive line, but after leading the league with 2,283 scrimmage yards and 2,005 rushing yards at 5.8 per carry, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley's production in his second season has significantly declined so far.

Barkley, the former New York Giants star whose contract disputes led him to their division rival, has 369 yards on 113 carries (3.26 avg.) and three touchdowns for an Eagles rushing attack ranked 30th in the league (88.1 yards/game), its 3.34 yards per attempt ranked 31st overall.

All that would appear to be good news for the Giants' run defense, which, after two consecutive weeks of holding opponents to under 100 yards on the ground, went right back to giving up triple digits in their heartbreaking 33-32 loss to the Denver Broncos last week.

The Giants' run defense remains at the bottom third of the league, ranked 25th overall (130.7 yards/game) and has allowed opponents an average of 5.23 rushing yards per attempt, which is 30th in the league.

Barkley is the straw that stirs the Eagles’ running game’s drink. So it’s only fair to wonder if something is going on with him that has watered down his production.

Giants outside linebacker Brian Burns doesn’t see it.

“He's definitely the same threat he used to be,” he said. “I don't think there's any slack in his talent or anything of that nature. … I don't know why his numbers are down. Maybe just a year.”

Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II shared Burns’ assessment.

“He's definitely the same threat if you watch the tape,” he said. “I think you get lost in highlights and stuff like that, but a down-to-down play, a down-to-down running back, he's still playing really well. Numbers don't always show that, but the tape does.”

The Giants run defense, in the first meeting between the two teams just a couple of weeks ago, held Barkley to just 58 rushing yards on 12 carries, and the Eagles' ground game to its second-lowest total yardage (73) thus far in 2025.

Stopping Barkley was a big key in accomplishing that, and for the Giants, Lawrence said that it came down to the defense wanting it more.

“I think everybody was just flying to the ball, getting a good knock back up front, wrapping him up and making sure he was hitting the ground,” he said.

Lawrence added that if the Giants want to give themselves the best chance of snapping the Eagles’ hex over them on Philly’s home turf, stopping the run remains a high priority.

“You want to be the most physical group out there as a defense, and that's what we want to do,” he said.