GDT: Devils @ Hurricanes - DAS EUPHORIA

[Edmonton East]

Okay, great. He's capable of some really good things - there was a fantastic rush up ice at some point against Tampa - but he also had poor positioning that blew a decent breakout and turned it into nothing. Just having the ability to make good plays isn't enough; they have to be executed.

How dare his positioning and play reads not be 100% accurate at age 19. Guess we should have him start hopping around positions so he becomes a jack of all trades, and a master of none.

Zacha has played very well at center. I do not understand how anyone could say otherwise. Just because he hasn't been perfect? Even if you wanna push the 2 game argument where you feel he didn't play well, that isn't enough of a sample size to switch positions for a 19 year old.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

I'd sooner move Henrique to the wing than Zacha at this point. Think Zacha's been fine. If we want him at center moving forward, let him play through it.

 

[billingtons ghost]

Stop being smug and pretending it was clear as day to you that Cammalleri was gonna come around. I've watched every game and went to 2, he's been an embarrassment this season. Couldn't get anything on net, couldn't handle or make passes. It was perfectly valid to be upset and concerned with his play. Not even his lack of production, but his terrible overall play.

I think it was pretty clear as day that folks panicking at game #10 and calling for his benching and that his contract was 'an albatross' were pretty ridiculous - and I said so a couple of days back.

Newsflash: Streaky guys are streaky. Rusty guys has rust.

 

[Triumph]

How dare his positioning and play reads not be 100% accurate at age 19. Guess we should have him start hopping around positions so he becomes a jack of all trades, and a master of none.

Zacha has played very well at center. I do not understand how anyone could say otherwise. Just because he hasn't been perfect? Even if you wanna push the 2 game argument where you feel he didn't play well, that isn't enough of a sample size to switch positions for a 19 year old.

There's plenty of time for him to be good at center. Having a young player lose his confidence while continuing to make bad plays isn't productive either. Especially someone like Zacha who isn't going to just try to make the simple play every time. He's not being punished - the coaching staff is saying, you're a good player, we need you in the lineup, but here you can play a simpler game on the wing.

It's not about not being perfect, it's about there being a certain threshold of play that has to be made and him not making it these last 2 games. NHL's a hard league.

 

[Kurt Cobain]

Posted in wrong thread this post can be deleted

 

[Its a Trap]

You think he's been bad for 2 games which therefore must equal he's lost so much confidence in his game he needs to be shifted to wing for the forseeable future?

Edit this is directed at triumph

 

[Brooklyndevil]

I thought Zacha looked far more tentative and out of position at wing than he did at center.

Maybe with time he will learn, but he seems like he needs to be more involved in the game or else he has a tendency to start watching and drifting out of the play.

What I noticed about Zacha, the more physical he is the better he plays. He wasn't very physical and looked lost as you posted.

 

[Cheddabombs]

Zacha is very aware in the defensive zone, perhaps to a fault. He's methodical when perhaps he needs to be a little more aggressive. As a winger, in the limited action I've seen from him, he still plays with a lot of tendencies he has as a center and that just doesn't bode well. He plays down low a lot, supporting the defenseman both while we're defending and on the breakout when he should be a little bit higher near the blue line. Even as a center I thought he played a little bit too deep in our own zone. Or at the very least he's been slow transition from that down-low position into an attacking one.

For all the good (and I mean real good) Zacha has done he's a bit of a weird player to me. Sometimes he's too tentative but even when he plays like that he puts himself in good positions to take away the opposition's passing/shooting lanes. But when he's aggressive he's an animal, and like it was just mentioned that aggressiveness comes with increased physicality and that's when he's at his best. It's just he doesn't reach that level as much as I'd like. And hey, he's still 19 and I'm sure he's putting a great deal of emphasis on simply not being a liability out there. Which I get to a degree, I just want to see him rev his engine a little more.

 

[Devils Dominion]

I would keep Bouch & JJ in tomorrow

 

[Its a Trap]

Hell no to Bouch if he's playing on the 4th line

 

[Zippy316]

Zacha is very aware in the defensive zone, perhaps to a fault. He's methodical when perhaps he needs to be a little more aggressive. As a winger, in the limited action I've seen from him, he still plays with a lot of tendencies he has as a center and that just doesn't bode well. He plays down low a lot, supporting the defenseman both while we're defending and on the breakout when he should be a little bit higher near the blue line. Even as a center I thought he played a little bit too deep in our own zone. Or at the very least he's been slow transition from that down-low position into an attacking one.

For all the good (and I mean real good) Zacha has done he's a bit of a weird player to me. Sometimes he's too tentative but even when he plays like that he puts himself in good positions to take away the opposition's passing/shooting lanes. But when he's aggressive he's an animal, and like it was just mentioned that aggressiveness comes with increased physicality and that's when he's at his best. It's just he doesn't reach that level as much as I'd like. And hey, he's still 19 and I'm sure he's putting a great deal of emphasis on simply not being a liability out there. Which I get to a degree, I just want to see him rev his engine a little more.

Judging from his comments, it seems like the staff is trying to push him to concentrate on the defensive areas of the game. It almost seems like he is focusing too much to a fault.

Like you said, when he's aggressive, he's often not thinking and just reacting making great plays. He had one play in one of our home games where he stripped an incoming defender on the blueline and brought the puck down on an odd-man rush like he was still playing against junior players.

In all honesty, him focusing defensively might be the best thing for him as long as he doesn't use those aggressive instincts. I'd love for him to develop into a Kopitar-like forward that plays methodical, but aggressive at all the right times.

 

[Triumph]

You think he's been bad for 2 games which therefore must equal he's lost so much confidence in his game he needs to be shifted to wing for the forseeable future?

Edit this is directed at triumph

No, but there's bad habits creeping into his game. I wouldn't be surprised to see him back at center on Tuesday, but there was no time to make adjustments between the weekend games.

 

[Camille the Eel]

I just haven't seen anything negative about Zacha. One bad penalty he took maybe. But he's been consistently one of our top players, night in night out.

He's a natural center. He sees the ice so well and moves the puck to the open area. His decision making has been uncannily mature. He's strong on the puck. Skates. Plays great defense down low in our own end.

What's to criticize?

Let Hynes use him as he will. That's Hynes job. Wing, center. Hey we won last night remember?

 

[Emperoreddy]

It was, although it helped that Hanifin kind of stupidly sold out on the block attempt. I've never really understood why defensemen do that. More often than not it seems they just end up laying on the ice looking like a fool.

Oh the Cane's D was putrid on that play. Still Zajac was good to make it happen.

 

[Brodeur]

Oh the Cane's D was putrid on that play. Still Zajac was good to make it happen.

Wasn't quite sure what Ryan Murphy was doing on that play either. Reminded me of a few folks who wanted him in the 2011 Draft for his offense and were adamant that he could be taught the defensive side.

 

[Bleedred]

Once again Zajac deserves some love.

That was a really slick play to set up the first goal.

I think we all need to thank #19 for producing what he has, while guys like Cammalleri, Palmieri and Henrique have been a little underwhelming.

If he didn't pick up some of the slack, along with the Parenteau waiver claim (thanks again Garth!), we might have the worst offense in the league by quite a bit over these first 11 games.

I shudder to think who would be playing instead of Parenteau. Maybe we have Josefson playing in the top 9 for most games or Kalinin too. It might have blocked Boucher from getting more of a chance, but it also might not have, especially if they're really higher on Josefson than Boucher as of right now.

Zajac has had an awesome start. Not sure if he'll sustain it, but I remember Zippy saying last week that he thinks it might be his last really great season offensively. I could see him eclipsing 50 points if healthy all year.

 

[Zippy316]

Zajac has had an awesome start. Not sure if he'll sustain it, but I remember Zippy saying last week that he thinks it might be his last really great season offensively. I could see him eclipsing 50 points if healthy all year.

I said that mainly because he's bound to rack up PP points playing on the unit with Hall and Palmieri.

There's bound to be a right-handed forward in the slot the way the PP is constructed and that leaves the Devils with DSP, Bennett, Parenteau, Lappin, and Zajac left to choose from. Zajac is the only center in that group and is also very strong on face-offs as well. He's also one of the best players on this team at winning puck battles and retaining possession. He always seems to be giving the players on that PP unit an outlet when they are pressured.

By this time next year, I hope Zacha takes the next step forward and pushes Zajac down to 3C. Then the years after that we're likely to have an influx of young forwards pushing their way onto the team. Zajac will likely be pushed down to shutdown center duties on the third line at that point.

 

[Bleedred]

I said that mainly because he's bound to rack up PP points playing on the unit with Hall and Palmieri.

There's bound to be a right-handed forward in the slot the way the PP is constructed and that leaves the Devils with DSP, Bennett, Parenteau, Lappin, and Zajac left to choose from. Zajac is the only center in that group and is also very strong on face-offs as well. He's also one of the best players on this team at winning puck battles and retaining possession. He always seems to be giving the players on that PP unit an outlet when they are pressured.

By this time next year, I hope Zacha takes the next step forward and pushes Zajac down to 3C. Then the years after that we're likely to have an influx of young forwards pushing their way onto the team. Zajac will likely be pushed down to shutdown center duties on the third line at that point.

We'd be a pretty deep team if we could put Zajac as the 3rd line center.

Though I think he's still a decent #2 option as of now.

 

[Zippy316]

We'd be a pretty deep team if we could put Zajac as the 3rd line center.

Though I think he's still a decent #2 option as of now.

I would imagine Quenneville playing LW so far in Albany is being done out of anticipation of Henrique - Zacha - Zajac being our top three Cs for the next few years, with McLeod eventually joining that group. Same goes for Blandisi who hasn't played center in the games I've seen.

Coleman, Pietila, and Rooney have primarily been centers. The first two are hopefully going to take over the 4C duties in the long-term. I've liked Rooney in the limited viewings I've had of him, but I'm not sure he's ever going to be NHL material.

 

[Emperoreddy]

We'd be a pretty deep team if we could put Zajac as the 3rd line center.

Though I think he's still a decent #2 option as of now.

He is more than decent at 2C. He is one of the best shutdown players in the league.

So even at 40 points his defense makes him a 2C player.

Now obviously if Zacha is good enough to push him down we are in great shape, though in that situation Zacha would be our 1C, Zajac 2C and Rico 3C

A 40 point Zajac is better then a 50 point Rico at center IMO.