The former Devil sustained an upper-body injury versus the Arizona Coyotes.
Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery announced that former New Jersey Devils sixth overall pick Pavel Zacha is listed as day-to-day after sustaining an upper-body injury versus the Arizona Coyotes on Saturday night. He and Charlie McAvoy (upper body) missed Monday afternoon's team practice.
"He is still day-to-day," Montgomery said after practice. "We will have a more definitive answer tomorrow on whether he is a player for us Wednesday. Same goes for (McAvoy). They are progressing. They're not at the stage where we can say they're players for Wednesday."
Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald traded Zacha to the Bruins on July 13, 2022, in exchange for Erik Haula.
"I would make that trade seven days a week, twice on Sunday," Fitzgerald said of acquiring Haula. "He was the player type that we needed to help us continue to move this ship forward."
Zacha has played his former team three times since the trade, including twice at Prudential Center. He has earned at least a point in every game for a total of four (three goals, one assist).
Through 26 games this season, Zacha has 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists). I checked in with Joe Pohoryles of The Hockey News to see how the former Devil has been doing this season.
"He's been the team's 1C all season," he said. "The lines have shuffled a lot, but he's consistently been at the top with David Pastrnak, which has certainly boosted his production, given their connection. The team is already short-handed with McAvoy and Derek Forbort out on the back end, and Zacha is probably the only other center besides Charlie Coyle that (Montgomery) really trusts in late-game situations."
The 6-foot-4 center is not the only former Devil in the Bruins organization. In exchange for Shane Bowers, Fitzgerald traded Reilly Walsh to Boston on June 26, 2023, and Jesper Boqvist signed a one-year contract with the Bruins on July 12, 2023.