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Bruins Address Critical Future Needs With Zacha Contract Extension
BOSTON — There will come a time when Patrice Bergeron and David Craig are no longer one-two punches at center for the Bruins. B needs to figure out who will carry the torch and lead team in the middle of the ice long game.
Pavel Zacha is going to be part of that mix.
The Bruins announced on Saturday night that they had signed Zacha to a four-year, $19 million contract extension shortly after their 4-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at TD Garden. Zacha was traded from the New Jersey Devils in July and signed a one-year contract with the team in August.
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“When we first acquired him, Pavel played all three positions, looking to center ice to move forward and bring versatility as we have to find a way to keep adding to the group. I think his versatility shines through,” Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said at the Garden Saturday night. He is a big part of our group and fits in very well and is comfortable with some of his compatriots, but overall he is a very well liked young man and We were happy to participate’ in moving forward and addressing future positional needs. “
For Zacha, the move to the Bruins helped take his talent to a higher level.
“Coming here, one of my strengths is that I can play on the wing and in the centre. “Meeting[Patrice]Bergeron, Charlie Coyle and David Kreich helps my game. , and helps me grow as a teammate.I think I’m a part of this.The team helped me and I’ve been lucky to be here for so long.”
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Zacha has appeared in 42 games for the Bruins and has five goals and 20 assists. He’s on pace for his 48 points, which surpasses his career-high 36 points last season. Although his goalscoring is down, he’s 5-5 and he’s also on pace to set career highs in assists (1.95) and points (2.18) per 60 minutes.
Versatility is a word often used to describe Zacha’s skill set, and his plug-and-play ability is invaluable to Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. What else did Zacha give B?
“I think he brings smarts. He’s always on both sides of the ice and away from the pack,” Bergeron said of Zacha. “A lot of people pay attention to goals and points and things like that, but I think he pays attention to the details. In fact, he should get more of what he brings to this team.
“It’s great to see him stay for another four years. I think he signed a one-year deal and wanted to make a name for himself in this locker room. He definitely did it. He. “
Zacha was fairly familiar with the Bruins before being traded to the Original Six Club. He trained in Boston over the summer and knew some of the players.
“He’s a really great player. I always loved him and liked the way he played,” said Bruins center Charlie Coyle. I got to know him very well because I’ve been out, and whenever we played against him, he always set us on fire and he always seemed to be on the scoresheet. Bring him here, just like the way he works and the skills he has, he’s a good hockey player. A player. He’s a great guy on the ice too. Let’s succeed together and work together.”
A $4.75 million cap hit for a middle six winger like Zacha who can score 35-50 points and play almost anywhere in the lineup is good business for the Bruins.
However, Sweeney has a lot of work left to do.
After Zacha’s extension, Boston still has nine more players from Saturday’s game who are eligible to become unrestricted or restricted free agents after the season ends. The Bruins are tight on the salary cap and it’s very difficult to keep all of these players, David Pastrnak is clearly the most important player in that group. Sweeney didn’t have a new update on his Pastrnak expansion talks on Saturday night.
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