Prospect Info: Pavel Zacha

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

I mean, Zacha could absolutely play on the wing if Stastny was signed. Plus, you can never have enough centers.

C depth of Hischier, Stastny, Zajac, Zacha, Boyle is really good

Plus, signing him wouldn't affect our cap space enough to even remotely worry about. Its not like he is going to get $10 million for 5 years

 

[Triumph]

Zacha should be playing at C, and Stastny isn't going to a sign a 2 year contract, ergo his AAV matters. If the Devils could find a way to ditch Zajac, maybe Stastny would be a good option, but as it stands, I don't think he's a great fit - leaving aside the fact that I have no idea why Stastny would sign here.

 

[None Shall Pass]

1. We have more cap space now and in the near future than we can sensibly use.
2. Assuming Zacha will be better than Stastny now or in the near future is a long shot and frankly silly. Especially since Stastny's career LOW in points in only one less Zacha's career HIGH (And in only 40 games).
3. if Zacha does play well enough to make the Stastny signing look silly, then we have our top 3 centers as Nico, Zacha, and Stastny, which is dope as hell. That's great depth.

Saying you wouldn't sign a career 0.78 PPG CENTER for nothing but a currency we're flush with (Cap space) because our (underwhelming) young guy MIGHT be better than him or that he's a certain age, on a team where the goal this coming season will be to get back to the playoffs is just.. a very bad take.

 

[Billdo]

Doesn't help your cap. Doesn't help Zacha's icetime. He needs to get his confidence up; not be buried on a 3rd line. We've got bigger needs at RW and LD and I'm not sure Stastny is really an upgrade if Zacha progresses and takes the same strides as he did this year.

Big if with regard to the last sentence. The other points are valid with the exception of it being a cap issue. He's not going to get the type of deal people want to offer JT or Carlson. I don't think it would be hard to have him here cap wise. I also wouldn't mind giving Zacha a shot at wing. Having depth up the middle wouldn't hurt.

 

[Triumph]

1. We have more cap space now and in the near future than we can sensibly use.

Agreed, with emphasis on now. Soon this will not be true.

2. Assuming Zacha will be better than Stastny now or in the near future is a long shot and frankly silly. Especially since Stastny's career LOW in points in only one less Zacha's career HIGH (And in only 40 games).

This is the kind of statement that looks silly when you are comparing 20 year olds to 32 year olds. Zacha could well be better than Stastny next season. But that's not the reason not to sign Stastny.

Saying you wouldn't sign a career 0.78 PPG CENTER for nothing but a currency we're flush with (Cap space) because our (underwhelming) young guy MIGHT be better than him or that he's a certain age, on a team where the goal this coming season will be to get back to the playoffs is just.. a very bad take.

The Devils are flush with cap space now. They are not flush with future cap space. They have Hall, Hischier, Bratt, and now Anderson all needing new contracts in the same year, plus they have Zacha and Butcher requiring new contracts in the meantime, and they have large uncertainty about their future goaltending. Anything that happens in the next 2 years that just needs cap space - great, do it. Anything that extends past those 2 years could potentially cause issues, so you want to make sure you're getting the most out of your money at this point. Having a turning-35 year old center along with your 35 year old center signed for a combined $11-12M or so is not going to be the best use of cap space in 2020-21. The Devils' goal shouldn't be to make the playoffs - it should be to become a Stanley Cup contender. I like Stastny, and on some teams he would be the missing piece, but I don't think he is on this Devils team.

 

[Call Me Al]

agreed, the devils should not be signing any large contracts unless that person is expected to be a big part of this team for the next 5+ years, i dont see any 30+ year olds fitting that

 

[None Shall Pass]

The Devils' goal shouldn't be to make the playoffs - it should be to become a Stanley Cup contender. I like Stastny, and on some teams he would be the missing piece, but I don't think he is on this Devils team.

We need more than one missing piece - we need a top defender or two, and some depth scoring. We're going to need to add more than one piece. A high scoring center is as good an option as any. We can't expect to just be able to get all of these things at once.

 

[MadDevil]

I don't find it humorous that we passed on Devils fans HFBoards page vote winner Barzal

MadDevil wanted Crouse who's even been worse than PZ so far

Eeeh! Sorry Hans, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?

 

[Devils Dominion]

Eeeh! Sorry Hans, wrong guess. Would you like to go for Double Jeopardy where the scores can really change?

Keep moving the goalposts, but we are not like a Vikings kicker

 

[NJDevs26]

Just stop. He got less poweplay time because he’s not good enough to play on the power play. And if he’s good, he should be helping his line mates.

Excuses, excuses, excuses.

While I'm no Zacha fan the idea of not being 'good enough' for the PP is a bunch of hogwash when they throw out guys like Brian Boyle, Jimmy Hayes and Drew Stafford on the PP. That's the kind of stuff that made me want to pack Ward's bag for him.

 

[Darkauron]

While I'm no Zacha fan the idea of not being 'good enough' for the PP is a bunch of hogwash when they throw out guys like Brian Boyle, Jimmy Hayes and Drew Stafford on the PP. That's the kind of stuff that made me want to pack Ward's bag for him.

Yeah that was such a joke. Zacha could get some confidence if he was put on the RW for the PP and just told to make slapshots from that spot. Use to get so many goals from there in juniors.

 

[Triumph]

We need more than one missing piece - we need a top defender or two, and some depth scoring. We're going to need to add more than one piece. A high scoring center is as good an option as any. We can't expect to just be able to get all of these things at once.

He's 33 in December. Odds are by the time the Devils have assembled the other missing pieces, this one is a liability.

 

[Triumph]

While I'm no Zacha fan the idea of not being 'good enough' for the PP is a bunch of hogwash when they throw out guys like Brian Boyle, Jimmy Hayes and Drew Stafford on the PP. That's the kind of stuff that made me want to pack Ward's bag for him.

Power plays aren't made by just sticking 5 guys out there and telling them to score. You want to put people in roles where they will succeed, and handedness is also critical to certain things will operate on a power play. Zacha is about the last forward on the team I would put in the Brian Boyle role - I think his hands around the net are a weakness, not a strength. Stafford and Hayes got the positions they did because they shoot right-handed. Zacha does not. He's not eligible for those spots.

That said, I think the Devils took Zacha off the power play for long stretches of the season because they wanted him to focus on his even-strength play, and he will be back on the power play this season.

 

[billingtons ghost]

1. We have more cap space now and in the near future than we can sensibly use.
2. Assuming Zacha will be better than Stastny now or in the near future is a long shot and frankly silly. Especially since Stastny's career LOW in points in only one less Zacha's career HIGH (And in only 40 games).
3. if Zacha does play well enough to make the Stastny signing look silly, then we have our top 3 centers as Nico, Zacha, and Stastny, which is dope as hell. That's great depth.

Saying you wouldn't sign a career 0.78 PPG CENTER for nothing but a currency we're flush with (Cap space) because our (underwhelming) young guy MIGHT be better than him or that he's a certain age, on a team where the goal this coming season will be to get back to the playoffs is just.. a very bad take.

Signing a 32 year old guy who
1 has perennially underwhelmed
2 hasn't played 82 games since he was 20 except last year
3 can barely scratch 50 points on good years playing on top lines
4 expects 6-7m/aav

Is a bad take. There's never been a time when this guy has lived up to expectations and his ex-teammates can barely refrain taking pot-shots at him - especially as he jumps ship and was a locker-room cancer on an Avs team that has finally just turned it around.

His .78 ppg benefits from two fantastic years

Is *that* the kind of 32 year old vet you want to bring in to a young impressionable team? Pass.

This board ripped Henrique non-sensically for floating around - I can't imagine how much fun we'd have bringing in this guy at 1.5x the price.

 

[MadDevil]

Keep moving the goalposts, but we are not like a Vikings kicker

That's rich coming from a guy who constantly deflects or outright pretends that it never happened when he's proven to be wrong. Is it that hard for you to admit that you, a draft guru, could have been wrong? Or is the need for self congratulation just too strong for you?

 

[DerekDevils30]

@Devils Dominion is the ultimate heel

I can't wait until Hulk Hogan drops the leg on him

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

Stastny is absolutely not a floater

no idea where the hell you even got that logic from

 

[Bleedred]

Stastny would be pretty sweet if it were for 2 years, maybe 3 years maximum, but I think even then, we might not like him anymore by year 3.

He's already 32 and he could be pretty bad by year 3, which during year 3 he will turn 35.

 

[Bleedred]

@Devils Dominion is the ultimate heel

I can't wait until Hulk Hogan drops the leg on him

I laughed a little too hard at this. DD kind of reminds me of the Hollywood Hogan version. We need Sting or Goldberg or somebody (who Terry wouldn't refuse to job to) to save us!

 

[MadDevil]

I laughed a little too hard at this. DD kind of reminds me of the Hollywood Hogan version. We need Sting or Goldberg or somebody (who Terry wouldn't refuse to job to) to save us!

We should have some kind wrestling draft on here some day to figure out which wrestler everybody would be.

 

[glenwo2]

I laughed a little too hard at this. DD kind of reminds me of the Hollywood Hogan version. We need Sting or Goldberg or somebody (who Terry wouldn't refuse to job to) to save us!

Then I'm Kevin Nash and I'm going to.....ARRGH!! There goes my quad.

 

[My3Sons]

We should have some kind wrestling draft on here some day to figure out which wrestler everybody would be.

Can I be George the Animal Steele?

 

[Oneiro]

I see Zacha's issue's as lack of assertiveness, I think he thinks the game pretty well. Overthinks it perhaps.

Unless we are saying a guy who over thinks or over passes or is not aggressive enough lack's hockey IQ, and I could see using the term in that way, but I feel that is not often how it is used.

I think you're right re: lack of assertiveness. He is like the Larsson of forwards in that it's been hard for the fanbase, myself included, to accept the slower development curve, but there is steady improvement along with a natural skillset that's self-evident.

Without Nico, this whole discussion is a lot more emotionally charged and way less rational (a scary thought).

 

[AfroThunder396]

Signing a 32 year old guy who
1 has perennially underwhelmed
2 hasn't played 82 games since he was 20 except last year
3 can barely scratch 50 points on good years playing on top lines
4 expects 6-7m/aav

Is a bad take. There's never been a time when this guy has lived up to expectations and his ex-teammates can barely refrain taking pot-shots at him - especially as he jumps ship and was a locker-room cancer on an Avs team that has finally just turned it around.

His .78 ppg benefits from two fantastic years

Is *that* the kind of 32 year old vet you want to bring in to a young impressionable team? Pass.

This board ripped Henrique non-sensically for floating around - I can't imagine how much fun we'd have bringing in this guy at 1.5x the price.

This is one point, not two. He's been on a 50 point or higher pace in every season of his career with the exception of 2015.

He has a mean PPG of 0.78 and a median PPG of 0.77. Seven of his 12 seasons are above 0.7 PPG. That's a normal distribution. It's not inflated by outlier seasons like you suggest.

 

[None Shall Pass]

Not even paces, either! Dude scored more than 50 points in 7 of his 11 full (non-lockout) seasons, and that's not factoring in injuries. But sure, let's go with "can barely scratch 50 points", which is just unbelievably wrong.