5. Pavel Zacha
Remaining contract: 3 years, $14.25 million
Pavel Zacha hasn’t been with the Devils in a long time. When Tom Fitzgerald traded him to the Boston Bruins straight up for Erik Haula, it looked like he was dumping an asset that he didn’t know what to do with. Maybe that’s the case.
Zacha’s start in Boston was amazing. He finally hit his stride playing next to David Pastrnak. He was the second-line center the Bruins had been looking for to play behind Patrice Bergeron. He has 57 and 59 points in his first two seasons in Boston. Those are decent numbers, and it led to a long-term extension that pays him just under $5 million per season. Good for Zacha!
This season, something isn’t clicking, and Zacha hasn’t been able to bring some peace to the Bruins. He’s averaging close to 19 minutes per game as the team’s top-line center. Yet, he has just 16 points (8 goals, 8 assists). The Bruins added Elias Lindholm this offseason to a pretty big deal, and he hasn’t been that good, either. The centers are not producing for the Bruins this season.
Zacha is on pace for 36 points this season. That’s just unacceptable when playing next to Pastrnak. The Bruins don’t regret the Zacha acquisition as a whole, but they might be regretting this contract. He doesn’t look like a first-line center, and the Bruins need him to be.