RUMOR: Canadiens Talking To Both Wild And Devils

Pavel Zacha is the name that’s being linked to the New Jersey Devils. This comes with a little bit of intrigue but also a risk as Zacha has shown tons of inconsistency since the beginning of his playing career.

Zacha was drafted 6th overall in the 2015 draft by the Devils. He was advertised as a big centerman (6’3″ 210 lbs) with speed and grit and has a devastating shot. After being drafted he elevated his play with the Sarnia Sting of the OHL and had career highs in virtually ever offensive category with a scoring line of 28-36-64 in 51 games.

His success hasn’t translated to the NHL level as of yet but maybe that’s partly because he has been misused, as we have seen with his breakout season last year.

Zacha is not the player you pencil in at center for 20 minutes a night. His poor performances defensively might have affected his confidence as well as the team’s view of the man himself. That being said however, he has been switched to left wing where he seems much more comfortable since he has a lot less responsibility than a centerman would.

Last season saw him produce a scoring line of 17-18-35 in 50 games. This season he is on pace to breaking, or at least tie, these stats as he currently stands with a scoring line up 13-15-28 in 55 games.

The Brno, Czech Republic native is in the final year of his contract holding a $2.25 million cap hit and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.