Newly signed Boston Bruins forward Pavel Zacha understands he might be asked to play somewhat out of position in his first season with the team.
And the 25-year-old is more than willing to take on the challenge.
A centerman by trade, Zacha could be pushed to either wing with the Bruins seemingly having their top three centers in place with both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci back along with third-line center Charlie Coyle. Zacha isn't fretting a move to the wing, though.
"I played last two, three seasons kind of both. I played on the wing a little bit longer last two seasons than I did usually. I'm used to wing, and I played there probably 70% of my last two seasons," Zacha said during his introductory press conference Tuesday. "I'm used to playing wing a little bit more now than center. So, with where the spots are on the team, I think the biggest thing for me is I can play both and I can be used in both. Where I see where I can fit in it was probably going to be more on the wing this season, but I leave the decisions to my coaches there and just try to do my best."
Zacha's versatility could be a big aid to the Bruins, especially early on in the upcoming season with Boston expecting to be without a small handful of players due to injury.
Zacha's openness to playing on the wing also leads to the possibility of him playing on the same line as his fellow Czech Republic natives in Krejci and David Pastrnak.
"That would be great," Zacha said. "That's something I sometimes think about, especially now knowing that Krejci's coming back. That would be great, but again, it's not my decision. I just have to have a good camp and good start of the season and see where I fit on the team."
Zacha spent the first seven years of his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils, and last season, he notched 15 goals and 21 assists for 36 points in 70 games.
