The Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins both enter the 2026-27 season staring at the same problem: a top-six center hole that still hasn’t been filled.
Boston has lived with that issue since Patrice Bergeron retired a couple of seasons ago, and Don Sweeney still hasn’t found the answer. Los Angeles is in a similar spot after Anze Kopitar retired following last season.
The difference, at least for now, is that the Bruins may have the stronger center group heading into the year. But if the Kings need a target to chase, Pavel Zacha looks like the obvious one.
Quinton Byfield is expected to open the season as Los Angeles’ first-line center, and the Kings can also lean on former Boston pivot Erik Haula and Scott Laughton, who are set to compete for middle-six roles. Still, if that group doesn’t hold up, the Kings could be pushed toward a bigger move, and Zacha would fit the bill.
Zacha is in the final season of his deal with Boston, and last year he centered the second line alongside former Kings wing Viktor Arvidsson and Casey Mittlestadt. He delivered a career year, finishing with 30 goals and 65 points. He also brings value in every situation and, by the source’s framing, should be Boston’s first-line center over Elias Lindholm.
The problem for the Bruins is the next contract. Zacha is headed toward a major payday next summer, and it does not sound like Boston will be the team to hand it to him. If that’s the case, Sweeney could be forced into moving him, especially since he has shown in the past that he will part with players rather than let them walk for nothing.
For the Kings, the appeal is straightforward. Adding Zacha next to Byfield would give them a much sturdier spine down the middle and would boost their chances of getting into the postseason in the Pacific Division.
The price would depend on timing. If Los Angeles lands Zacha as a rental, the return would likely start with a first-round pick and a lower-tier prospect.
If an extension is worked out in advance, Boston could ask for more. Either way, if Sweeney makes Zacha available, the market should be strong - and the Kings ought to be right in the middle of it.
In Other News...
Kings Fans Got An Early Look At One Reign Trait That Matters
The Ontario Reign gave Kings fans a useful glimpse of a trait that tends to travel well from the AHL to the NHL: resilience under pressure. In a 2-1 shootout win over the Coachella Valley Firebirds at Acrisure Arena, the Reign spent much of the night trying to claw back into a tight game before finding a way to leave with two points.
Kenny Connors helped force extra time with a late equalizer, and then Taylor Ward delivered the only shootout goal of the night. Erik Portillo did the rest, turning aside every Coachella Valley attempt in the skills competition after making 18 saves in regulation, a strong all-around effort that gave Ontario a result worth remembering. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Open The Season With Two Massive Questions Still Looming
The Kings open their 2026-27 season against the Colorado Avalanche with a fresh coaching staff in place and a roster that already feels different from the one fans watched a year ago. Peter Laviolette is now steering the group, and the early focus around the team has centered on how new faces and familiar holdovers will fit into a lineup trying to move forward after a major change up front. Brandt Clarke, Alex Turcotte and Scott Laughton are among the players expected to carry more weight as the season gets rolling.
The bigger question is not simply who takes the ice, but what kind of Kings team shows up once the puck drops. There is still uncertainty around how the club will handle the center position after Anze Kopitars retirement, and how much the new coaching staff will reshape a defensive identity that has long defined the franchise. Those answers will not come all at once, but the opener should offer the first real clue about the direction this version of the Kings wants to take. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Enter Opener With Two Lineup Questions Still Unsettled
The Kings have wrapped training camp and turned their attention to Wednesdays opener against the Colorado Avalanche, but the first lineup card of the season still has a couple of open questions. One sits in net, where Darcy Kuemper and Anton Forsberg both made strong cases in camp and left the club with a decision still to make before puck drop.
The other is down the middle, where Los Angeles never added a top-six center over the summer and is giving Alex Turcotte a real look in the second-line spot. Coach Peter Laviolette has framed the construction of his lineup as a strategic process, and that makes the final choices at center and in goal among the most interesting pieces to watch as the Kings start the season. [Read more 🡒]