The New Jersey Devils are a team that hopes their forward depth helps them win more than they lose and Pavel Zacha is one of those major pieces.
The New Jersey Devils have stars like Taylor Hall, Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Kyle Palmieri upfront but depth scoring has been an issue over the years. They have made some additions this season but if Pavel Zacha has a big year as he has so far, this could be a really dangerous forward group. The top guys were a little slow out of the gate but you know the numbers they are ultimately going to provide, but if Zacha can elevate his game, it would be awesome for the team.
He was a sixth overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft for a reason. He has size, he has the skill, and he is hungry to prove it to everyone. He knows the players that were drafted before and after him and wants to prove that he somewhat belongs in that conversation. There is a chance that he can go on to have a really nice season for the Devils. There were some whispers that he was going to head to play overseas during the summer but Ray Shero got him signed and he is here.
He is off to a good start this season and the team needs him to continue. His play with and the puck is outstanding as the Devils generate more when he is out there than the opposition. His 51.3% Corsi suggests that even further, and he is contributing some offense of his own as well. In seven games he has one goal and three assists for four points.
If he can continue that exact pace with his 15ish minutes of ice time the Devils would love it. He also provides some of the league’s best penalty-killing. He helps avoid giving up power-play goals by his strong positioning and knowing what to do in those situations. He also has the ability to create offensive chances when short-handed which is the best type of penalty killing you can do. They need Pavel Zacha to be good in all three zones and we believe he can do it. He can get matched up against the other team’s best lines depending on his wingers and you can trust him.
It is a good thing that the Devils paid him and didn’t let him go to the KHL because they need him for all of the things he brings including some depth scoring. He may never eclipse an elite number of points but he brings so many good things to the table for the Devils and hopefully he can keep it up.