New Jersey Devils: 5 Teams Who Could Be Interested In Pavel Zacha

Vancouver Canucks

This is the one with the most juice. Elliotte Friedman reported that the Vancouver Canucks showed interest in Zacha, so the two sides have at least talked about a deal. It makes sense for both sides, the Canucks have some pieces they are looking to move, and their main priority is to get younger. Zacha would give them an NHL-level asset who they are buying low on.

The Canucks are a team that has to make a major decision right now. Do they want to make an attempt at a full rebuild, or will they make it a soft rebuild with the pieces they currently have in place? They just signed Quinn Hughes to a long-term deal, and Elias Pettersson signed this past offseason too. They are both soon entering their prime, and they have their goalie of the future in net in Thatcher Demko.

With all these pieces in place, they may want to find more “win now” pieces than traditional picks and prospects when they trade their pieces. The Devils have already been tied to Connor Garland. It makes sense for the two teams to swap players they are likely going to trade anyway. Maybe Garland helps Nico Hischier better than Zacha could, and maybe Zacha plays a better role for the Canucks than he did for the Devils.

This one is the obvious one because it’s already out there, but it’s definitely not the only option on the table.