Versatility can be a double-edged sword for a player.
On one hand, it can be a player’s ticket into the National Hockey League and regular icetime. On the other, it can lead to a jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none syndrome.
But Pavel Zacha, drafted by the Devils sixth overall in 2015 as a centerman but has bounced between pivot and wing throughout his career, looks at his versatility more as a blessing than a curse. He just wants a little heads-up for what’s expected of him.
That has been the case for Zacha in his first three seasons as a Bruin. And so far under new coach Marco Sturm, it has held true.
Going into camp, one of the bigger questions was the center position and whether Zacha would be in the middle or on the wing. While the situation is still very much fluid, Zacha has started this training camp at center on a line with Tanner Jeannot and Matej Blumel.
“I think I’m going to have more talks about what my situation is and where I’m going to be but he talked to me over the summer and said he wants to start me at center and go from there. So we’ll see how training camp goes and how we fit in with the new guys,” said Zacha.
The 28-year-old Zacha may not be the star that some had projected him to be as a teenager, but he is a solid top-six player, whether he’s in the middle or on the wing. Making him even more valuable is his relatively reasonable cap hit of $4.75 million, at which he has one more season after this one.
When the B’s obtained him from Jersey for Erik Haula, he had one more year left on his deal. When the two sides came to terms on a new four-year deal in 2023, it came with the knowledge that his versatility was valued. Zacha understands that.
“One of the big things when I signed here in Boston a couple of years ago is that I can play wing and center. The first year I came here I was playing wing most of the time, then last year I played mostly center. That’s something where I can pride my game around, that I can play everywhere,” said Zacha. “If I could choose, I’d probably choose center because I’m a little more defensive in that way but it’s where my team needs me and the communication I’ve had over the last two or three years has been really good. I knew what people want from me and where I’m going to be playing. It’s the same way (now). They want me to play center to start and see where I go from there.”
While Zacha is amenable to flipping between center and wing, he doesn’t exactly look at the switch as no big deal, either. Communication is key.
“It’s very important. That was one of the things when I came to Boston that was great for me, knowing what the coaches want from you and where you’re going to play,” said Zacha, whose shootout goal was the only tally in Saturday’s scrrimmage. “It’s a little bit harder playing wing (in that) they expect a little more offense from you. Center is a little bit more defensive. So knowing before games, knowing what you need to be more focused on is important. I struggled with that a little bit in Jersey. I’d be put there right before the game and mentally it’s kind of hard to switch your game. But (Sturm’s) been good in communication. He’s been great so far. We’ll see how that goes. But I’m excited about talking about these situations so we’ll all be on the same (page) and have a good start.”
Zacha is looking for a bounce-back season. After setting career highs in his first two seasons in Boston (21-36-57 in 2022-23, 21-38-59 in ‘23-24), he backslid last year, managing just 14-33-47. He played all 82 games but said he dealt with a couple of lower body injuries mid-season, when he historically has gotten his game cranked up. After a long summer of training, he’s feels good physically and is eager to make sure last season wasn’t the start of trend.
“Every year you want to get better but, for sure, there was a little bit of decline performance-wise. I want to be better offensively and I wasn’t good enough last year,” said Zacha. “It’s something where I want to go back to the numbers, or even better than what I had the first two years here, but I think it starts in training camp. I feel healthy and good coming in and it’s something that I’m focused on with videos and all that stuff in the offseason and try to get better at, where to be in the offensive zone and try to create more chances around the net for myself. That’s something that I focused on in the summer.”
While Zacha has good value for the Bruins, he could also have it for a contender at the trade deadline. He has has an eight-team no-trade list, according to puckpedia.com. Should the B’s fall out of playoff contention, his name will undoubtedly churn prominently through the trade rumor mill.
A good way to keep it out of that chatter is for the B’s to perform above expectations. Zacha’s play could greatly influence that….
The B’s played a half-hour scrimmage that ended in a 0-0 tie. The highlight was Nikita Zadorov hit on Riley Tufte that shook the earth in the Brighton/Allston area. Blumel, who has an excellent shot, just missed winning it in the waning seconds when he rang the post. …
Sturm had yet to go over his lineup for Sunday’s preseason opener against Washington at the Garden (5 pm) with GM Don Sweeney but that first game is usually heavy on youth….
Sturm said David Pastrnak (knee) is still on track to join the team early in the week.
