Why was Zacha a top prospect?

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

I hate threads like these because no one can predict the future. Some players pan out, some don’t.

If your team had the 6th OA pick and knew Zacha was a top notch prospect, top 10 worthy, would you pick him? The Devils’ forward prospect depth was bare at the time, it was a gamble since the top forwards (McDavid/Eichel/Strome/Marner were picked and Provorov/Werenski were on the board. That’s the decision they made, unfortunately it didn’t work out.

I think the difference here is that you had a vocal contingent of posters who did predict, with conviction, that Zacha would struggle, especially when compared to a guy like Barzal.

 

[CraigsList]

I think the difference here is that you had a vocal contingent of posters who did predict, with conviction, that Zacha would struggle, especially when compared to a guy like Barzal.

Oh I had Barzal, Connor and Boeser way higher. Problem is we as fans aren’t the GMs, even if we think we could do a better job than them.

 

[TeddyBare]

You could ask the same question for Virtanen

Both went 6th overall and both had pedestrian numbers in junior and stunk of low IQ, but had a big body.

 

[Scooooooooooooot]

uh, let's not get too carried away here. Beast? Come on, OK to average at best. Doesn't use his sise to his advantage either. One of the best PKers in the NHL? Please. Your proof or stats to show this?

Are you sure you're talking about Pavel Zacha here?

Pavel Zacha???

Last year I saw a stat that he played 66 minutes on the PK and the Devils gave up 3 goals in those 66 minutes and scored 2 shorthanded goals.

 

[VoidCreature]

Do you have anything other than from a Todd Cordell Blogger?

I mean, the stats are the stats. It doesn't really matter who's pointing them out.

If you'd like to do some of your own research to try and debate them, be my guest.

 

[Jerzey Devil]

I blame David Conte on drafting Zacha. I think Shero does too which is why he was replaced shortly after. Conte always had a hard on for trying to find a Zubrus type of player. If it were up to him and Lou the whole Devils team would have been Zubruses.

 

[Hivemind]

There are always Top 10 picks who don't pan out the way you'd hope. Not all of them bust out of the NHL completely (and I'm not convinced that Zacha will completly bust out of the NHL), but many never meet their pre-draft expectations.

Raffi Torres, Scottie Upshall, Benoit Pouliot, Gilbert Brule, Sam Gagner, Brett Connolly, Rico Fata, and Boyd Devereaux were all top 6 picks, for instance.

 

[NJDevilsFan21]

Could have been worse... we could have taken Patrick instead of Nico and really been screwed.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Should've gone about 10 picks later. A Lars Eller type career isn't bad, but not what you're looking for at 6.

 

[lawrence]

Scouts are not always right. Amatuer scouting can get very tricky, as one of CAnucks scouts once said in a recent interview. There are times, teams will make a decision based on projected outcome. for example they might "feel" that this player will be this kind of players in 7 years etc etc, or simply put it, they are just not correct. Barzal's draft year, he wasn't that impressive either, his stats, were great but not out of this world great, he was plagued with injuries and for a top pick he wasn't scoring much, not to mention he wasn't very big at the time either, things change.

but my point is, Amateur scouting is not easy.

 

[NOTENOUGHJTCGOALS]

If Zacha played with MacGinnon he would also have 10 points by now.

 

[Edmonton East]

I remember on draft day after Zacha was taken, most of the NJ fans reactions were not good ones. I was checking each teams threads to see if they were happy/pissed about their pick....and NJ fans were certainly not happy.

But I thought he started playing better last year? I remember talking with a few NJ fans about Patrick and Zacha and how both of them were playing better, but the points were not showing on the scoresheet. It was in January.

No progress since then?

Ironically, the 2 times I recall the Devs board having the strongest preference to draft a particular player:

• 2008 - John Carlson, who would go 3 picks later. Devs drafted Tedenby. Don't know who that is? Yea, exactly.
• 2015 - Barzal...and the Devs obviously took Zacha

 

[ThomasG]

I'm not convinced that the pick itself was bad, I am convinced the development was poor and out of character for the organization.

He went back to junior and improved on the year but still had a ways to go development wise. Then on the last game of the year they called him up and he went beast mode on a tanking Toronto team playing their last game of the year.

The following year they kept him in the NHL despite him not really being ready and despite him having flaws to his game. He didn't get the minutes to develop properly and would apparently "figure it out" as he went.

And he hasn't really improved from there. Had they sent him back to junior another year, or sent him to their AHL team to work on some things and get better I think he would have developed more in line with expectations.

As an Oilers fan this scares me, sounds an awful lot like puljujarvi asides from the junior part. Even the comparisons of size, skill,shot and 2 way game.

 

[WhiskeyYerTheDevils]

Could have been worse... we could have taken Patrick instead of Nico and really been screwed.

Yeah but I'd rather have Barzal and Patrick than Nico and Zacha.

 

[Fear the Wushu]

Took a look and could only find the end of the Flyers thread when the Zacha pick happened:

Yessssss

Zacha!!!

YES! Provorov is ours

Ha ha...yes!

Wowowowowowwoowowowowowowowowow

Not provorov!!!! Omg yessss

Zacha.

We will get Provorov!!!

Yessssssss. come on provorov!!!!

We got Nico though, thank god Shero didn't take Nolan.

 

[Crazy Cizikas]

Oh I had Barzal, Connor and Boeser way higher. Problem is we as fans aren’t the GMs, even if we think we could do a better job than them.

Yup. If GMs listen to the fans, they’ll soon be sitting with the fans.

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

"Infamous" Debrusk is a top 6 player and our third best winger.

Over 12,000 posts and you still do not get it. Good draft picks get a lot of points and make highlight reel plays in 6-4 regular season losses and/or have excellent advanced statistics over a large sample. You actually think a player like Debrusk that plays a top 6 role on a team that won a round in the playoffs by age 22 should be considered a good draft choice?

 

[ChicksDigTheTrap]

They could have had Werenski or Provorov, either of them would make the Devils a legit contender right now.

Thankfully, they can’t draft. They also picked McLeod over McAvoy.

You must be joking. I am not sure exactly what you mean by "legit contender" but neither the Devils nor the Flyers with Ivan Provorov would be considered a "legit contender" by many/any hockey fans. In the 2015-16 season the Flyers had 96 points and made the playoffs. Last season they had 98 points and lost in the first round. Why should I think a player that has not been able to improve his own team from a fringe playoff team to a "legit contender" would help turn the Devils into a "legit contender"?

 

[Spirit of McMullen]

Well, he just got assigned to the AHL today, after what turned into a horrendous start for his 3rd full NHL season. 150 games through 3+ full NHL seasons and couldn't get it going this season.

10 games=0 pts. to start this season.

For a #6 OA in that very deep draft and judging him against many of his peers in that draft, it's not looking good for him at all right now.

 

[57special]

Wait, I had NJD fans telling me he was playing really well, and that it just wasn't showing up on the scoresheet.

 

[Spirit of McMullen]

I blame David Conte on drafting Zacha. I think Shero does too which is why he was replaced shortly after. Conte always had a hard on for trying to find a Zubrus type of player. If it were up to him and Lou the whole Devils team would have been Zubruses.

Wait, what??? So you are saying Ray Shero fired head scout David Conte just a couple of weeks after the draft because he knew Pavel Zacha would end up being a disappointment, before he ever set foot on NHL ice?

Yet Shero let Conte draft Zacha anyway and then subsequently changed his mind about Zacha and then fired Conte just a couple of weeks later???

 

[Devils Dominion]

He's mentally soft, lacks confidence

 

[Devils Dominion]

Wait, what??? So you are saying Ray Shero fired head scout David Conte just a couple of weeks after the draft because he knew Pavel Zacha would end up being a disappointment, before he ever set foot on NHL ice?

Yet Shero let Conte draft Zacha anyway and then subsequently changed his mind about Zacha and then fired Conte just a couple of weeks later???

Lou was still there.
Ray deferred to Lou and his right hand man Conte out of respect for him.