Don Sweeney's tenure as Boston Bruins general manager -- a position he's held since May of 2015 -- has been criticized and debated quite a bit in this region, especially over the last couple years.
The team's draft record hasn't been very good under his watch, but one thing that cannot be questioned is his ability to make excellent trades.
Whether it's during the offseason or before the trade deadline, Sweeney is great at finding the right players to acquire from other teams without giving up too much from his own organization.
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Bruins' historic turnaround in less than a year has been extraordinary
One of his best trades as B's general manager came last July when he acquired versatile forward Pavel Zacha from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for veteran center/winger Erik Haula.
It's been an absolute home run for Boston.
After failing to live up to the hype of being the No. 6 overall pick in 2015 by the Devils, Zacha has exceeded all expectations this season to become a key piece in the Bruins' top-six forward group.
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"He’s really developed the puck pressure we like to see in the D zone from a centerman," Montgomery said of Zacha before an April 4 game against the Penguins in Pittsburgh. "And offensively, he’s gifted attacking through the middle. We didn’t know that was a great strength of his, but it is a great strength of his."
Montgomery later added: "I think he can consistently hit 65 points for us."
The 26-year-old forward has set career highs with 21 goals, 36 assists and 57 points through 80 games. His previous career highs were 17 goals, 24 assists and 36 points. Zacha has been especially productive in April, posting seven points (three goals, four assists) in four games as the Bruins race toward the Stanley Cup Playoffs and set records. He scored both of the Bruins' goals in a hard fought 2-1 victory over the Devils at TD Garden on Saturday night.
Zacha also been tremendous at 5-on-5, as the table below illustrates. He is producing at a much higher rate offensively for the Bruins than he did in his first six full seasons with the Devils.
Zacha actually ranks second on the Bruins in even-strength points with 48. The only player on the team with more is David Pastrnak at 74 even-strength points.
There's still room for growth with Zacha despite his career-best season. A total of 164 players have scored 20 or more goals this season and Zacha has registered the fifth-fewest shots (128) in that group. He has a very good shot and needs to use it even more. Zacha also could see more power-play time in the coming years. His 1:19 of power play ice time per game ranks eighth among B's forwards in 2022-23.
Not only did Sweeney acquire Zacha for a small price, he signed the Czech forward to a team-friendly contract extension worth $ 19 million over four years ($ 4.75 million salary cap hit).
Now signed long term, Zacha figures to be a key component to the Bruins' future and could easily slide into the No. 2 center role whenever David Krejci retires. Center has been a difficult position for the Bruins to draft and develop in over the last decade, which makes the emergence of Zacha even more vital.
"I think we were pretty obvious when we first acquired him; the versatility Pavel brings in playing all three positions and in moving forward, an eye towards center ice that we’re going to have to find a way to continue to add to our group," Sweeney said after signing Zacha to the new extension in January. "I think that his versatility has shown through. He plays in all situations in a hockey game and has been a big part of our group. Fit in very well, comfortable with several of his countrymen. But overall, a very well-liked young man who we’re happy to have going forward, and it addresses a positional need in the future.”
Scoring depth was a huge issue -- especially at even strength -- for the Bruins in recent playoff runs. Zacha's impressive scoring production at even strength, plus his versatility in being able to generate offense at left wing or center, should make him a very valuable player in the team's upcoming playoff run.