Former NJ Devils Assistant Mark Recchi: Pavel Zacha is 'Way Better Than' Erik Haula
Former New Jersey Devils assistant coach Mark Recchi told Boston Hockey Now that F Pavel Zacha is 'way better than' Erik Haula, whom the Devils acquired in a one-for-one trade earlier this summer.
Just a few short weeks ago, the New Jersey Devils traded their former sixth overall pick to Boston for depth forward Erik Haula, marking the end of Pavel Zacha's turbulent tenure in New Jersey. The Czech forward scored 98 points across 88 games for the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League, outscoring teammates like Jordan Kyrou and Travis Konecny on Sarnia's 2015-16 team.
Drawing serious draft consideration, Zacha jumped right up to the NHL, struggling to translate his offensive talents for the Devils. As is often the case, fans quickly soured on Zacha, who became a pariah towards the end. Managing only 179 points in his 386 games for the Devils, the Czech striker's bread and butter was his scoring ability, but too often Devils fans watched close, winnable games thrown away because of this:
I think I speak for hockey fans everywhere when I say, 'if you are being paid any amount of money to play hockey, you should be hitting the net from the hashmarks.' I don't think that is too much to ask.
Recchi has carved out a special place in Devils lore, as well. Under his watch, the New Jersey Devils had the worst powerplay in the NHL from 2020-2022, and Devils fans don't seem to care what the now-free agent has to say.
That said, Recchi is not exactly wrong about Zacha being more talented than Erik Haula. In fact, he is spot on.
Zacha (25) not only scores more than Haula (31), but he facilitates considerably more offense for his teammates and takes less penalties. In spite of that, however, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald seems to believe Zacha needed a change of scenery in addition to a new contract. And judging by the one-year deal he signed in Boston, they weren't overly comfortable handing him a bunch of money either.
For New Jersey, Fitzgerald has placed a serious emphasis on compete-level and intensity during his run as Devils GM, both of which Zacha has been criticized for in the past. As such, a bottom-six forward with a high compete-level is a net-positive compared to a top-six guy--who they just replaced with Ondrej Palat, mind you--who lacks there and doesn't supplement it with enough offense. Therefore, the trade simply had to happen.
Zacha will almost certainly see personal improvement among Boston's talented forwards, but this is one of those trades where both teams win (or lose) the trade. Zacha and Haula are both unrestricted free agents after the 2022-23 season and could each sign with a new team.
I have a nagging suspicion Zacha will stand out in Boston this year offensively, while Haula's effect on the Devils might fly under the radar. Therefore, don't be shocked if Boston ends up ahead in this deal a year from now. On the other hand, I don't think Bruins fans will tolerate missing the net anymore than Devils fans, so Zacha had better sort that out.
| POLL | ||
AOÛT 17 | 152 ANSWERS Former NJ Devils Assistant Mark Recchi: Pavel Zacha is 'Way Better Than' Erik Haula Who is the better player? | ||
| Pavel Zacha | 92 | 60.5 % |
| Erik Haula | 60 | 39.5 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||