New Jersey Devils: Travis Zajac’s Comments Light Social Media On Fire
By Nick Villano
The New Jersey Devils traded or cut just about every veteran that was on the roster over the last two seasons. They made six deals that would be considered “sells” in the 2019-20 season, and then Tom Fitzgerald followed his performance by moving Dmitry Kulikov, Kyle Palmieri, and Travis Zajac in two different deals. Zajac hurt the most since he’s been a lifelong Devils player who was considered the main veteran in the locker room. However, things became a little clearer when he said it didn’t make sense for him to be captain before the season. On Monday, he made another comment to reporters that got everyone’s ears perked up.
#Isles Travis Zajac: “I came from a team where if you weren't under 25, you didn't fit in. Here, it's a little different, it's a veteran team. They play with structure, they play with commitments, and, it's an easy group to come in and insert yourself."
— Mollie Walker (@MollieeWalkerr) June 7, 2021
The reaction to the quote was like anything on Devils Twitter, swift and full of a range of emotions.
Trav you are in my doghouse https://t.co/TMKJAI553A
— Joey (@jniiiice) June 7, 2021
So sorry the talented 19 year olds thrown together as a rebuild in the middle of a pandemic didn't have the structure of a marine corps platoon. Sounds like you spent your time sulking instead of leading like a vet should. Ridiculous attitude, glad it's out of our locker room tbh https://t.co/fYNvQanxep
— Jey (@hockeyRN_21) June 7, 2021
Guess what Zajac, if you played to your contract the devils wouldn’t be in the under 25 boat https://t.co/4z6vAmHhKQ
— Art Vandelay (@tolear1158) June 7, 2021
Those were just some of the quote tweets that didn’t have obscenities in them. Fans are going to react to the things that players say. That’s the whole reason why the New York Post’s Mollie Walker, or any reporter for that matter, posts quotes like that. Sure, there is some missing context because the question isn’t there, but that’s what happens when we work with a character limit.
Based on the article Walker wrote after the tweets, it sounds like there was a little missing context here. It appears that Zajac was asked about slotting into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for most of the postseason. He would never be a healthy scratch with the Devils because the team is much, much younger. With the New York Islanders, he understands why he’s doing what he’s doing. Then, when he gets back into the lineup, he knows he can play his game as a veteran because everyone else will limit mistakes.
Next. Assessing Who Might Take Luke Hughes. dark
It was obvious that the overreactions to Zajac’s quotes were unwarranted, but it doesn’t mean they aren’t telling. It sounds like Zajac felt like the 35 year old who went back to college. No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to feel like you fit in. When you’re closer in maturity level to the coaches/professors than your teammates, then it’s hard to find the right spot.
Zajac was a great teammate, and all the young players said how much he helped them during the season, but that couldn’t have been fun for him. He’s trying to salvage the end of his career and possibly get one more payday. Meanwhile, the team is a mess, the mistakes were mounting, as were the losses. At the same time, on the ice Zajac was trying to play safe since the rest of the team was playing with reckless abandon.
The Islanders are a much better fit for Zajac now. Any dreams of Zajac coming back and finishing his career in New Jersey probably ended at that sentence. Still, this shouldn’t impact the way we look at one of the best things about this terrible era of Devils hockey.