New Jersey Devils: Evaluating Futures of Pavel Zacha, Michael McLeod

At one point, former 1st-round picks Pavel Zacha and Michael McLeod were considered top prospects in the New Jersey Devils organization. While neither were necessarily projected to become superstars, both centers possessed decent upside and were expected to eventually become impact players.

Between New Jersey’s draft lottery luck over the last few years and both centers developing at a relatively bumpy sluggish pace, the prospects of both players being part of the organization’s future are hazy. With Nico Hischier now an established fixture down the middle and Jack Hughes (assuming the New Jersey Devils pick him) coming into the fold, the saturation of center depth will make it increasingly difficult for both forwards to break into the NHL with New Jersey.

Determining whether or not Pavel Zacha and Michael McLeod have futures with the Devils warrants an individual evaluation of each player and how they can contribute to building around the team’s foundation. Zacha completed his third season with the team and despite posting new career-highs in goals (13) this past season, the 22-year old has yet to surpass 25 points.

In a previous piece I wrote about Zacha, I noted how he was goal-less through his first 12 games in 2018-19 (during which he also endured a 12-day demotion to the AHL), but bolstered his production upon being called back up. In his final 49 games, Zacha’s 13 goals equated to a 21-goal pace over 82 games, a rate he consistently maintained, despite being sidelined for five weeks from mid-February to late-March.

There are other notable stats worth pointing out that paint a broader picture outside of Zacha’s scoring production. Since his first full season in 2016-2017, Zacha’s faceoff percentage has steadily improved each year, from 40.26-43.86 percent between 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 (+8.84 percent) and up to 48.88 percent between his sophomore and this past season (+11.44 percent).

Zacha also played an instrumental role in the New Jersey Devils finishing last season with the fourth-best penalty kill in the league. He had the fifth-highest total shorthanded playing time on the entire team (133:07), which ranked third among forwards behind Blake Coleman and Travis Zajac. Granted, Zacha’s Corsi (CF%) and Fenwick (FF%) For percentages at even strength were subpar—46.3 and 47, respectively—he did start 56.8 percent of his zone starts in the defensive end and spent most of the season playing with AHL-caliber players or bottom-six NHL forwards.

While the jury is still out on Zacha’s offensive game, his strong defensive upside gives him considerable value, enough where the Brno, Czech Republic native can still very well have a future with the New Jersey Devils. Although the first and second center slots appear occupied for the next several years, Zacha could still slot into the fourth line and remain a fixture on the penalty kill. When Travis Zajac’s contract expires in 2021, Zacha could even succeed him as the team’s third-line center.

Shifting gears to New Jersey’s 2016 1st-round pick Michael McLeod. It’s immediately worth noting he’s not nearly as tenured as Pavel Zacha. McLeod is also coming off his first full pro season, which was split between the Binghamton Devils (55 games) and New Jersey (21 games). While his NHL numbers (zero goals and three assists) weren’t by any means desirable, the Mississauga, Ontario native tallied six goals and 33 points—leading the team with 27 assists, as a rookie—on a Binghamton team that had the second-fewest wins in the AHL.

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The New Jersey Devils coaching staff didn’t utilize McLeod very thoroughly, and mostly played him at even strength. His Corsi and Fenwick for percentages are both in the low-forties, despite his even strength starts in the offensive (50.4 percent) and defensive (49.6 percent) zone being practically equal. Like Zacha however, McLeod played mostly with similar line mates during his quarter-season stint in the NHL this past season, a primary consequence from the Devil’s crippling rash of injuries.

Despite the meager sample New Jersey Devils fans and analysts have of McLeod, he has noteworthy upsides. The 21-year old is touted for his speed, showed flashes of prowess in the faceoff dot when he won 53 percent of his draws—which was second on the Devils among natural centers behind Travis Zajac—and appears on the trajectory of becoming a solid playmaker. Unlike Zacha however, McLeod has yet to play a full NHL season and probably won’t get that opportunity as a natural center with the Devils.

McLeod may need to become a right or left wing if he wants to break in the NHL with the Devils. Although it’ll be over three years since he was drafted when next season starts, most tend to forget McLeod has just one full pro-season under his belt that he split between the NHL and AHL. Unless he’s part of a trade this offseason, next year should be very telling for his chances of establishing himself in the NHL.

He did spend some time playing right wing, which is a position where the Devils lack sufficient depth. His speed aligns with the team’s playing style, but McLeod’s must step up and elevate his game, which will start with a strong showing at training camp this fall.

I wouldn’t be shocked if either player becomes part of a trade this offseason, but Pavel Zacha and Michael McLeod could also forge futures with the New Jersey Devils. While both forwards possess unique attributes that could make them resourceful players, it’s likely they’ll drop a few places on the Devil’s depth charts by next season.

Out of the two, I’d say Pavel Zacha has a better chance of having a future with the Devils. Between having to make positional adaptations and inevitably falling those few notches on the Devil’s forward depth chart, Michael McLeod faces greater adversity. He does have only one pro-season under his belt and fits with the team’s playing style, which could open future opportunities with the team, even if he starts the 2019-2020 season in Binghamton.