Devils sign former Bruins defenseman
A day after the New Jersey Devils denied they had signed one former Bruin, they announced they had signed another to a professional tryout agreement.
Jakub Zboril, one of the Boston’s first-round picks in 2015, will attempt to make a career reset with a fresh start in New Jersey.
The 27-year-old from Czechia spent most of his time in the Bruins organization playing for Providence in the AHL. He played 76 career NHL games in Boston with one goal and 15 assists. Zboril’s Boston failure came under intense scrutiny as he was part of the team’s draft struggles in 2015. The team had three first-round picks and only one — Jake DeBrusk — emerged as an NHL regular, while several players that the Bruins passed on became good players in the league.
Devils and President/General Manager Tom Fitzgerald announced the move on Thursday. Zboril will be at training camp later this month.
The move comes a day after the Devils denied a report that they were signing Milan Lucic. That report was later corrected. Lucic would need to be reinstated by the NHL to be eligible to return.