After Two Seasons of Trade Rumors, Jason Zucker’s Headed to Pittsburgh

After nine seasons with the Minnesota Wild and two seasons of trade rumors, Jason Zucker was traded to Pittsburgh.

Well Minnesota Wild fans, here it is: General Manager Bill Guerin’s first blockbuster trade as GM of the Minnesota Wild.  A tough loss to Colorado may have finally pushed Guerin to the brink.

Zucker was seeing his ice time dwindle down to the basement of the 4th line.  After Sunday’s game, the Wild were on the outside looking in.  Five points out of a playoff spot, Guerin needed to put his mark on the team.  Bob Mckenzie broke the news to the State of Hockey late Monday evening.

With his sights set on the future, Guerin made a move to acquire Alex Galchenyuk, a 2020 first-round pick and Calen Addison.  Galchenyuk is a UFA after this season.  Per nhl.com Galchenyuk has played 45 games this season.  Scored 5 goals and 12 assists for a total of 17 points.  The 25 year old Milwaukee, Wisconsin native will look to show the State of Hockey what he can do.  A former 30 goal scorer, Galchenyuk amassed 105 goals and 133 assists from 2014-2019.  An average of 47.6 points per season.

Galchenyuk was never put in a position to be successful in Pittsburgh.  With the overwhelming star power in the top six Galchenyuk never climbed the ranks to play alongside Crosby and Malkin.

Instead Galchenyuk was demoted to the 3rd and 4th lines to play with the likes of Lafferty, Angello, Tanev, and Blueger.  Talk about a foursome I wouldn’t want to spend a day out on the course with.  With new scenery and an elevated role, Galchenyuk may rekindle the offensive flame he showed in his early years.

The Meat of the Trade

Calen Addison is a great addition to the trade.  Addison is a young defenseman hailing from Brandon, Manitoba.  Addison is currently in his 4th season, playing with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL.  Statistically Addison has been nearly a point per game player in his previous two seasons with Lethbridge.  In the previous two seasons, Addison has amassed 130 points in 135 games.  Not bad for a 17 and 18 year old player.  This season Addison is on pace for a blistering 80 points, blowing his two previous seasons (65 points) out of the water.

Addison’s hockey sense, vision, and poise with the puck are some of his best attributes.  Watching him play you can see that Addison’s hockey sense is truly elite.

Addison doesn’t force plays he can’t see with his eyes.  In the above video, Addison navigates his way around a Finland defender and scans the ice, waiting for a play to open.  Instead of forcing a pass down low, or putting a low percentage shot on net.  Addison waits for that perfect window to open, and is rewarded with a primary assist.  Addison’s patience with the puck on his stick is what creates this play.  Addison comes in on the smaller side at 5 foot 10 inches.  Despite his size, the Wild received arguably the best prospect in Pittsburgh’s pool.

Included in the trade with Galchenyuk and Addison is a 2020 1st round draft pick.  Pittsburgh did put conditions on this pick however, if the Penguins make the playoffs this season the Wild will have the pick this year.  If the Penguins fail to make the playoffs this season, the 2020 1st round pick could be rolled over to a 2021 1st round pick, Pittsburgh’s choice.  This puts the Wild into a great position going into the draft.

We’re nowhere near the end of the season, but if the Wild continue to sell we may be looking at a pick in the top 10 along with another pick in the 17-25 range.  There’s a number of intriguing players in this group the Wild could select.  The 2020 NHL draft is loaded with talent all the way into the second round.  Some names to keep an eye on for me are Jack Quinn (OHL), Thomas Bordeleau (USNTDP), Anton Lundell (HIFK-Liiga), and Dylan Holloway (Wisconsin).

That said, I’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how Zucker has been a pillar in the community and in the State of Hockey.

Zucker is the exact player you want in the NHL.  Zucker works extremely hard, does the little things, and competes everyday.  Zucker’s a model for what all NHL players should strive for off of the ice.  Zucker has poured his heart and soul into the community.  Sometimes we get too caught up in the game and forget these are people just like you and I.  Zucker will be missed by many, including myself, but I won’t forget the legacy he left in Minnesota.

Brandon Quast’s, Gone Puck Wild Contributor, Thoughts on the Trade

The fireworks have begun in Minnesota as Bill Guerin has dealt Jason Zucker to the Penguins, in a move that was widely speculated for a while now.

In my opinion, the Wild maximized their return for Zucker. Alex Galchenyuk, a forward drafted by Montreat 3rd overall in 2012 has had a tough time finding an identity in the NHL. He know fills what could be a temporary role at center/winger for the Wild.

Calen Addison was considered one of Pittsburgh’s top defensive prospects comes into the Wild’s system currently with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL, Addison may be an addition to Iowa next season in my opinion due to his age and tenure in the WHL coming to an end.

The 1st round pick is something the Wild sought after in their retooling, there is a condition attached to that as Pittsburgh will have the option to make it a 2021 1st if Pittsburgh doesn’t qualify for the postseason.

Dave Stevenson, Puck Prose Site Expert, Thoughts

Considering the difficult circumstances, I think the Wild did quite well in the trade. They got a top-notch prospect in Calen Addison, who could be NHL ready as soon as the end of this season, and a first-round pick in what appears to be a loaded draft class.

Lake Martin, Gone Puck Wild Site Expert, Thoughts

I knew it was probably going to happen. Doesn’t change how much it hurts. Jason Zucker was my favorite player on the Wild. I think he represents everything a successful professional athlete should strive to be. Play your heart out for the team, the city, the fanbase every night and be present in the community.

Zucker was the connection between the fanbase and the team for many of us. He and his wife Carly Zucker were frequent, popular guests on the KFAN radio morning show, The PowerTrip. The Zucker family started the rabidly popular #Give16 foundation that directly benefited the M Health University of Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital, and led him to winning the King Clancy Trophy at the NHL Awards Ceremony.

May 30th, 2019 I published this article on how it felt like Former Wild GM Paul Fenton was on the war path to trade Jason Zucker away from Minnesota. The article could be summarized with this one line from the piece:

"If Fenton moves Zucker because he has a 10 team-No Trade Clause kicks in July 1st, that is embarrassing."

I was heated that Fenton was looking to trade my favorite player, just to cover the loss (at the time) of selling low on Granlund, Coyle, and Nino. Fiala has turned into an elite talent, Donato has flashes of good play, but Rask has been a non-factor.

What GM Bill Guerin got for Zucker is spectacular. Galchenyuk’s contract is $600,000 cheaper than Zucker and is finished after the season. The 2020 first round pick (could be 2021 if Pittsburgh misses playoffs) and Calen Addison are the key parts of this trade for Minnesota. It’s a great haul. It doesn’t change that I’ll still miss Jason Zucker.

Let’s Celebrate his Time as a Wild Player

We had said it last May, but now that it’s official:

Thank You, Jason Zucker. It has been a blast. Hope to see you play for the State of Hockey again.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Brill

Brandon Quast

Lake Martin

Wild Fans Everywhere