Minnesota Wild: Jason Zucker avoids arbitration

The Minnesota Wild and forward Jason Zucker have come to terms on a new contract, getting the deal done just days before the scheduled arbitration meeting.

Restricted free agent, Jason Zucker, and the Minnesota Wild have agreed to a contract the will see the veteran forward staying with the team for 5 years. A deal identical in length to what defensemen Mathew Dumba signed last week.

The $27.5 million dollar contract averages out to $5.5M/Year, with a fluctuating yearly salary to allow the Wild some breathing room under the salary cap. The 2018-19 cap hit will be approximately $5 Million (per NHL.com).

Zucker, a 2010 second round draft pick, had a breakout season setting career highs in goals (33), assists (31), points (64), power-play points (16), game-winning goals (7), and shots (222), while never missing a game. He firmly established himself as a reliable top player on a team in desperate need of one.

Jason Zucker took the long way around to making the Minnesota Wild NHL roster. He struggled mightily under head coach Mike Yeo, finding himself in the press box much more than a young player would have liked.

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Under Bruce Boudreau, however, he has taken his game to the next level, improving every season and earning a larger role in both even strength and power play time. Clearly, he is doing the most with what his coach is giving him.

The money on this deal makes sense as well, at $5.5M/year this places Zucker on a level playing field with Mikael Granlund, Mikko Koivu, and Nino Niederreiter. Zucker, Granlund, and Niederreiter have each went over 55 points at least once in the last 2 seasons so it would only make sense they be on equal ground with their contracts.

This deal is huge for him, it’s big for the Minnesota Wild, but it’s also big for the state of Minnesota. This deal secures the core of the team for 2 more seasons, allowing new General Manager Paul Fenton time to evaluate all of his options before making any drastic moves.

In 2 years time, there are some tough decisions to be made in regards to who will stay and who should go. 2 years is a long time in the hockey world, though, and we will see what kind of manager Fenton can be based on how he handles the future of this team.

For now, surprise trades notwithstanding, this is the last piece of offseason action that we were waiting for. We’ve officially reached the dog days of summer, and now we wait for training camp and preseason to get underway.