Travis Zajac ready to go for New Jersey Devils, fill in Zach Parise gap -NHL Update
Limited to just 15 games last season, Travis Zajac, the New Jersey Devils top centre position player, is ready to roll and fill in the gap left by Zach Parise for his team next National Hockey League (NHL) regular season.
The 27-year-old might not have been there for the Devils when they made the playoffs, but was certainly a part of the action throughout the postseason as he put up 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in all 24 games played.
New Jersey Devils ultimately lost in six games to Los Angeles Kings but still put up a good fight, which they hope to repeat next season.
Zajac is even on the list of potential captains, which may be named at any moment now by the Devils management, but for now, Travis Zajac is mainly focusing on becoming a better player and leading his team forward.
"If any team would miss their best centerman, it hurts," Devils’ Ilya Kovalchuk told reporters last season. "We were missing him for almost all year long. Then he came back and gave us a lot of jump. He scores big goals."
Players like Adam Henrique, a candidate for the Calder Trophy last season, definitely need leadership from players like Travis Zajac as they look to flourish with the New Jersey Devils for years to come.
"Getting him back, he makes our team that much deeper," Henrique said. "Obviously not having him for the majority of the year was tough. He's one of our leaders. He's one of our best players. He's a guy that we rely on in big situations."
Zajac was picked up by New Jersey Devils as the 20th overall back in round-one of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. The native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, has played a total of 423 games up until now and has 255 points (91 goals, 164 assists) with 128 minutes in penalty time.
He is a player that can pot 60-plus points a season and at just 27, Travis Zajac has many years ahead of him filled with success and leadership for sure.
Next season, the 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is expected to keep playing for the entire hockey year.
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