5 Reasons New Jersey Devils Should Have Moved On From Pavel Zacha

On Monday morning, New Jersey Devils Forward Pavel Zacha agree to terms with KHL club Avangard Omsk on a one-year contract.  Zacha, who is entering his fourth year in the NHL, is still a restricted free agent, the only one the Devils have left to sign. With contract negotiations not going the way he or agent Patrik Stefan had planned, Zacha threw this curveball to speed up the negotiation process. Devils General Manager Ray Shero spoke to the AP about it, and to sum things up, he doesn’t care where Zacha goes as the Devils still own his rights.

While Zacha agreeing to terms with a KHL club doesn’t necessarily mean he will go to the KHL, as we saw with Zacha’s new three-year deal he signed Tuesday, it is Shero’s comments that say “we are fine with or without you”.

It may have worked out to let Zacha play in the KHL and get international experience and a break from New Jersey. Last season, Zacha was surprisingly sent down to the AHL after not meeting Shero or John Hynes’ expectations.

Zacha has seemed out of place on every part of the ice except when it comes to the penalty kill. When it comes to being a man down, Zacha is one of the best in the league. The PK seemingly is better with him on the ice than without. However he cannot seem to find the score sheet on a consistent basis, tying his career high in points last season with only 25. For being the sixth overall pick, that is relatively low compared to Mikko Rantanen who was taken a few picks later. It is time to cut their losses and let Zacha walk.

Here are the 5 reasons why the Devils should have moved on from Pavel Zacha: