Pavel Zacha hasn’t exactly lit up the scoresheet during his six years up in the NHL ranks — with his 36-point output during the 2021-22 campaign representing a new career high in offensive production.
Still, given his age (25), versatility (capable of playing center/wing), two-way profile and often underrated transition talents, the Czech product’s overall skillset would seem to warrant a new deal with both term and a solid pay raise in his new spot with the Boston Bruins.
After earning a base salary of $3 million in his final season with the Devils, Zacha did receive a slight bump in pay at $3.5 million with the B’s for the 2022-23 campaign.
But security by way of a long-term deal? Not this year for Boston’s latest trade pickup, with Zacha and the B’s avoiding a potentially contentious arbitration hearing by agreeing to a one-year contract that will allow the forward to enter next summer as an unrestricted free agent.
For most players, securing term often trumps the challenge of a “prove-it” deal — especially for someone like Zacha has already trudged through two team-friendly contracts in New Jersey.
But after speaking with the media on Tuesday, it seems as though Zacha — much like the Bruins in 2022-23 — is only dwelling on this upcoming 82-game campaign, and tabling any talk of future headaches to the following offseason.
"I think we kind of made a decision on just focusing on this one year — bringing guys like Bergy and Krech, having a big chance of having a good year as a team,” Zacha said when asked about his satisfaction with a one-year deal. “And I think that was the biggest thing from both sides, just focusing on one year. And if everything goes well, they know that I want to stay in Boston for a long time. So, I think there was more of a focus on just staying here for one year and focusing on this season.”
Of course, settling on a one-year contract also stands as a risky maneuver for the Bruins — given the potential for Zacha to rise to the occasion and put together a career year in his first season with Boston.
Even though Boston is set to shed a ton of money off their books next summer, they also only have four forwards currently signed through next season. And if David Pastrnak signs a long-term deal for, say, $9.5 million AAV — and both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s bonus overages carry over into next year — the B’s will only be looking at about $11 million in cap space to fill out the rest of the roster (which likely won’t feature both Bergeron and Krejci, mind you).
As such, the Bruins are playing with fire when it comes to putting the ball in Zacha’s court for a new contract in 2023 and beyond — especially if his play eventually warrants a long-term deal with an annual payout of, say, $4-5 million annually.
But when looking through the lens of just this season, it seems as though Zacha, much like Bergeron and Krejci, did the Bruins a solid when it came to settling at just $3.5 million.
Even though all three of Monday’s signings do put Boston over the $82.5 million cap ceiling, @BruinsCapSpace has them just $1.8 million over that threshold — a digestible fiscal hurdle that can be corrected with just a single trade or buyout, rather than uprooting a number of established NHLers on this roster.
"I think we met where we wanted,” Zacha said of his salary. “I got exactly what I wanted for a contract there with helping the team, and I think I can help them for next season and just trying to get as best of a team as possible. So we can all play and it's all about winning for us next season. So I think it was a good deal.”
Be it up in a top-six spot on the wing during the two-month stretch when Brad Marchand is expected to be on the shelf, or eventually in a third-line spot next to the likes of Charlie Coyle and Craig Smith, Zacha should offer plenty of value to the Bruins, especially if his transition game compliments a puck-possession pivot like Coyle.
If Zacha can take another step forward and elevate his production to around 40+ points, it would stand as a major plus for a Bruins roster that, even with Bergeron/Krejci back, desperately need more secondary scorers to pull on the rope.
By kicking the can down the road when it comes to compensating Zacha with a long-term deal, the Bruins can once again focus its attention on just this upcoming season, in what is looking more and more like the last hurrah for this current B’s core.
But it’s a two-way street when it comes to contract negotiations. And even if Zacha is sacrificing term and cash with his current arrangements with Boston, his new home can offer him something that he’s yet to achieve so far in his NHL career.
"I'm just happy to be on a team that's gonna be in the race and a playoff run and that's something that I wasn't part of the last six years,” Zacha said. “So just being part of this culture and trying to learn from it and wherever position I'm gonna get to play, I'm excited to help the team and it's gonna be a little bit different situation for me.
“Usually, I wasn't in a playoff run. And now with the team and how it looks — we have good players on paper, we just have to put it together there and play as a team. Which I saw, especially playing against, Boston's always played really good team hockey, so I'm just excited to be part of it.”
