Former Bruin Mark Recchi was right about Pavel Zacha
Longtime NHL forward Mark Recchi finished his career with three seasons as a member of the Boston Bruins.
The former assistant captain stated that he believes the Bruins won the trade that sent Erik Haula to the New Jersey Devils and brought Pavel Zacha to Boston.
Recchi would know, as he was an assistant coach for the Devils from 2020 to 2022 and watched Zacha develop after being selected 6th overall in 2015.
As per Boston Hockey Now:
�'I mean talent-wise, Donny [Bruins GM] got a steal here. Talent-wise he's way better than Haula. He's got the skill and just a big body, and when he uses that body, he's hard to take the puck away from.''
Recchi obviously knows more than us fans because the stats comparing the two don't back up his statements. In the 2021-22 season, Zacha recorded 15 goals and 21 assists in 70 games with the Devils, while, Haula collected 18 goals and 26 assists in 78 games with the Bruins.
Zacha has played well, up and down the lineup and, most notably, in the top-six alongside fellow Czechs David Krejci and David Pastrnak.
Recchi also commented on the Czech connection:
�'Confidence and just putting it all together has been the issue. Last year, he got off to a great start; was really our best player, and then he hit a bump a bit, and he just couldn't seem to dig himself out of it.''
�'He wants to show he deserved to get drafted where he is, and effort isn't an issue at all; it's just confidence and really knowing he can do it.''
The 25-year-old has three goals and nine assists through the first 20 games of the season and has meshed well with his new teammates in Boston. Meanwhile, Haula has one goal and six assists in 20 games with the Devils.
Neither guy is complaining about their personal stats, as both teams are one and two in the Eastern Conference.
| POLL | ||
Looking back, who won the Zacha for Haula trade? | ||
| Devils | 9 | 12.9 % |
| Bruins | 61 | 87.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
