I mean....Zacha is the type of player who crumbles when rushed, but maybe he can also be an example of someone who can overcome it? Time will tell.
When looking back he certainly is
however Ill always attest to the crumbling being outside factors and not strictly that hes in the NHL
In my personal opinion, and ive found this to be a bit controversial, I think the only way a player can be ruined by being in the NHL too early (and excluding outside factors like coaching, confidence, etc.) is by injuries and a lack of physical maturity.
Lets say a player comes up like Zacha and has confidence issues; it was on the team to notice this in interviews and training camps, and clearly the past regime wasnt doing a good job of that. Or on Pavel to maybe take a step back and say' Im not sure Im ready'. If the player is up in the big show and is losing confidence because of his poor play, that is again on the player to know and speak up or the staff to see the signs and pull back.
If Jack came into the league at 18 and got crushed by Chara, and missed an entire year and affected his future skating; thats how I see the NHL, the league itself, ruining young players.
Physical maturity cant be changed by anything other than time, working out, and nutrition. Confidence, coaching, etc... can all be changed at a moments notice as theyre more dependent on the individual, whereas physical makeup at a certain age cant be decided on Via a strong mindset and team/staff around you.