Would Mats Zuccarello be a good fit for the Edmonton Oilers?

The Edmonton Oilers are reportedly interested in acquiring Mats Zuccarello from the New York Rangers. Would he be the right fit in Edmonton? 

The Edmonton Oilers are desperately trying to make the playoffs. General Manager Peter Chiarelli, for some odd reason, still has a job. He knows it’s on the line, as the Oilers have only made the playoffs once in his three years as general manager. Chiarelli likely wouldn’t survive another postseason-less season.

Naturally, he’s been checking around the league for scoring forwards. According to Elliotte Friedman’s most recent 31 Thoughts column, one of the players the Oilers have checked in on is New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello.

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Edmonton’s wing depth is dire. They haven’t been able to surround Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid with the proper teammates. It’s gotten so ugly, the Oilers have basically been forced to put Leon Draisaitl or Nugent-Hopkins with McDavid.

So far this season, Zuccarello has been battling injuries, but still has a respectable 21 points in 33 games. Over his last five games, he has seven points, including three goals, so he’s starting to heat up at the right time.

Would He Be A Good Fit?

Zuccarello isn’t much of a goal scorer. His career high is 26 goals, set back in 2015-16. That’s the only time in Zuccarello’s career he’s reached the 20 goal plateau. He does, however, have at least 15 goals each of his last five seasons. Maybe playing with McDavid or Nugent-Hopkins would help him make it six straight.

Also, Zuccarello has proven to be a consistent points producer when healthy. Had he gotten one more point in 2014-15, he’d have at least 50 points in each of his last five seasons. Injuries have him behind that pace this season.

He likely wouldn’t come cheap. Zuccarello was looking like a good potential bargain addition at the trade deadline until his recent hot streak. Assuming he keeps on producing, that will only increase his market, which would increase his price tag.

The Oilers need a goal scorer or two, but those are very hard to come by. Zuccarello is one of those players who can help increase his teammate’s scoring chances thanks to his excellent vision and crisp passing.

Friedman notes the Rangers are likely looking for a second-round pick and a prospect for the veteran forward. This is a price that would be nice for the Oilers, as it would let them keep their first-round pick for another potential addition.

But given Edmonton’s cap space situation, it seems likely the Oilers would need the Rangers to retain some salary on Zuccarello. That might drive up his price into the first-round pick category. At the same time though, the Oilers have Jesse Puljujarvi as a trade chip. Assuming the Rangers are interested in him, this might let them get an upgrade without parting with a valuable draft pick.

The Oilers are just two points out of a playoff spot as of Jan. 16. They’re mostly fighting for one of the Western Conference’s two wild-card spots, as they are already 13 points out of third place in the Pacific Division. The Oilers will be fighting with some combination of the Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, and Anaheim Ducks for a total of two postseason spots. Zuccarello is a player who could help them grab one of those spots.

That said, the Oilers only have room for one addition as is. Maybe trading Cam Talbot would help things, but the market for goaltenders is a minuscule one right now. Alex Petrovic is another option, especially if Oscar Klefbom can come back strong from his injury. There are some cheaper options out there, as well as some more talented ones.

Zuccarello would be a nice fit in Edmonton, as he’s a proven top six forward. Playing with McDavid or Nugent-Hopkins would likely help him find his game from previous years when he was one of the league’s most underrated forwards.