The Zacha-for-Haula trade continues to look better and better for Bruins

When the Bruins pulled the trigger on a deal back in July that shipped Erik Haula to the Devils in exchange for Pavel Zacha — it was a one-for-one swap in which Boston relinquished baseline production in search of a better positional fit. 

Of course, the pending return of David Krejci likely played a sizable role in Boston’s decision-making process at the time, considering that Haula still put up very respectable numbers (44 points in 78 games) as the man in the middle of a line with David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall.

On the flip side, a 25-year-old forward like Zacha offered both versatility and potential — the latter of which had yet to be realized over his six seasons in Newark.

With 17 goals and 36 total points standing as his respective career highs, Zacha wasn’t exactly the type of player whose value to this B’s was going to be reflected in his tangible production. 

But with a lethal shot that Jim Montgomery hoped to coax more out of his game — coupled with some sterling transition metrics during his time with the Devils — a player with Zacha’s profile seemed like a natural fit for what Boston was looking for in a versatile, middle-six role.

Now 17 games into Zacha’s tenure with the Bruins, the results have been reflected both on the scoresheet and during the smaller wrinkles of a 60-minute contest that can sometimes go unnoticed. 

While Haula has been held to just six points (and zero goals) over 17 games with New Jersey, Zacha has posted 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over the first five-plus weeks of the 2022-23 campaign — putting him on pace for 53 points over a full season.

Of course, Montgomery is still looking for the Czech product to put more pucks on net during his shifts in the offensive zone. But considering that the B’s latest trade pickup is impacting the game beyond just finding twine, Boston’s bench boss hasn’t had many knocks against what Zacha has brought to this team in the early going.

"The good thing about Zacha is he's complimented every line he's been on,” Montgomery said of Zacha. “And I think his comfort level, hanging onto pucks, has really grown. I did not know his hockey sense was as good as it is. He has really good hockey sense. 

“He can make plays in every zone, he's probably our best winger at making really poised and calm plays in the D zone that lead to real successful exits. And I still want him to get a little more aggressive with using his shot. He has a lethal shot, and he's a pass-first mindset. I'd like to become more 50/50."

A Grade-A shot likely wasn’t going to be in the cards for Zacha as he raced to a skittering puck midway through the third period on Thursday night against the Flyers. With Zacha poking the biscuit past the stick of Philly blueliner Ivan Provorov, the pursuit was on — with both skaters carrying the play down into the Flyers’ end of the ice.

But even if a hamstrung shot attempt wasn’t available as Zacha found himself entangled with Provorov, that playmaking knack from the B’s forward still shone through — with Zacha using his 6-foot-4, 200-pound frame to muscle past Provarov and loft the puck out into the slot. 

Just seconds later, a trailing David Krejci deposited the puck past Carter Hart — giving Boston a two-goal cushion once again en route to the B’s 10th-straight victory on home ice to open the new year.

Such a sequence was a succinct display of Zacha’s overall skillset on the ice – be it his active stick, ability to fight through contact and that keen on-ice awareness that often leads to quality scoring chances — with another crisp feed in the transition leading to a Tomas Nosek tally earlier in the contest.

A two-point night for Zacha stands as the latest positive step for a young forward who is finding his footing in Boston. But beyond those baseline numbers, Zacha has been a welcome addition by way of the various minute details that can often be the difference between a cleared puck and a fruitful O-zone possession for his team.

Be it injuries or Montgomery’s propensity to reshuffle his forward lines throughout a contest, Zacha has already logged a hefty amount of reps across Boston’s first three forward lines this season. And wherever Zacha has landed, the B’s have strung together some dominant shifts.

Next to Charlie Coyle in his expected role on the third line? The Bruins have outscored opponents, 3-1, in their 56:24 of 5v5 ice time together.

As a temporary 2C when Krejci was out with an upper-body injury? A Hall-Zacha-Pastrnak line outshot teams, 17-11, in 31:30 of 5v5 ice time.

And in Thursday’s win, when pushed up to 2RW next to Krejci and Hall, Zacha helped form a top-six line that held a 6-1 edge in shot attempts against Philly over just 3:48 of 5v5 ice time.

Add in his contributions on the PK (1:25 shorthanded TOI per game), and Zacha has been a useful cog wherever he’s been placed in Boston’s lineup. 

He may not be a top-six pivot in the same vein as Haula was last season — but the Bruins aren’t asking Zacha to be one. Not this season, anyway.

But on a B’s roster that has benefited from multiple players pulling on the same rope, there’s tremendous value in having a player like Zacha further down the depth chart. 

Be it a top-six promotion, a puck-possession hawk on the third line or a PK foot-soldier, Zacha has assumed many already in just a short amount of time with Boston. And so far, he’s excelled in just about every task Montgomery has tossed his way. 

Now, if he just started shooting the puck a bit more. …