NHL Trade Rumors: 5 teams who should trade for Jason Zucker

According to the latest NHL trade rumors, it sounds like the Minnesota Wild are prepared to move on from forward Jason Zucker. Here are five teams who should trade for him. 

At the NHL trade deadline, the Minnesota Wild were reportedly very close to trading forward Jason Zucker. However, things didn’t work out and the deal was scratched at the last minute. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, it sounds like it would be surprising if he’s back in Minnesota to start the 2019-20 season.

This report comes from Elliotte Friedman in his most recent 31 Thoughts column. Wild general manager Paul Fenton has been making his stamp on the team. He has already traded Nino Niederreiter, Charlie Coyle, and Mikael Granlund. All signs point to Zucker being the next guy to go.

He’s coming off a fairly disappointing year, as he only scored 21 goals and 42 points in 82 games. This came just a season after Zucker set a career high with 32 goals and 64 points. The Wild missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

However, despite his down year, Zucker is still a valuable player. He’s good for 20 goals a year while playing excellent two-way hockey. Additionally, it’s hard not to notice Zucker’s low shooting percentages. His individual shooting percentage was 9.8%, his lowest since the 2015-16 season. Additionally, the Wild had a team shooting percentage of 6.0% with Zucker on the ice at even strength.

He has four years left on his current deal with an annual cap hit of $5.5 million. Additionally, Zucker’s no-trade clause kicks in on July 1, so expect the Wild to trade him before then. A deal could certainly happen after that point, but he has a 10-team no-trade list as a part of his contract.

If Zucker is on the market, he’d be a sought after commodity. He’s only 27 years old and he’s one year removed from scoring 30 goals. Let’s take a look at which teams would be the best fit for him.

5. Calgary Flames

The Calgary Flames were the team Zucker was nearly traded to at the trade deadline. Ergo, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him traded to them. The deal reportedly involved Michael Frolik and a draft pick heading to Minnesota.

This trade was so close to happening, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if the talks got revived around the 2019 NHL Draft. Remember, Zucker gets a bit more leverage after July 1 with his no-trade clause.

Frolik is a useful player who would fit well in the Wild’s top-nine forward group. However, he doesn’t quite have the resume of Zucker. Frolik rebuilt his trade value a little bit with a strong showing after being scratched repeatedly.

Zucker would be a terrific fit on the Flames. He’d be precisely what Calgary thought they were getting in James Neal. Except Zucker would probably be even better than that. He’d fit in pretty much anywhere in the Flames lineup. Zucker would be a perfect finisher to complement Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan on the top line.

He’d also be great in a shutdown role, adding some scoring to the vaunted 3M line. Clearing Frolik’s cap space would likely give the Flames just enough to squeeze in Zucker.

Yes, this would be a bad trade for the Wild. They’re getting a player who, though talented, is objectively worse than Zucker. But hey, this trade already almost happened once.

4. Carolina Hurricanes

Frankly, it wouldn’t shock  me one bit if Fenton has blocked the Carolina Hurricanes number. Understandable, especially after the Canes fleeced the Wild of Nino Niederreiter. Minnesota gave up a valuable two-way forward who can score and all they got for him was Victor Rask. Rask had just three points after joining the Wild.

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But if Fenton doesn’t have Carolina’s number blocked, they should be calling about Jason Zucker. Ironically, I think he’d be an even better fit with the Hurricanes than Niederreiter. Don’t get me wrong, Nino has been amazing in Carolina and it’s not a coincidence their turn around really started when he arrived.

However, Zucker would give the Hurricanes a viable goal scorer who could easily hit 30 goals. He’d make Carolina an even more lethal team. With his skating and his high hockey IQ, Zucker would fit in perfectly with the Hurricanes.

The only thing is, what could Carolina offer them? Under Fenton, the Wild, in a small sample size, have trended towards doing “hockey deals” – trades that net them another NHL player. Ideally, Carolina would clear some cap space so they can be sure they can afford to give Sebastian Aho the long-term deal he deserves.

How about defenseman Justin Faulk? Obviously, he would have to agree to sign an extension to stay with the Wild for the trade to work. But with Jared Spurgeon‘s uncertain future in Minnesota, it’s a deal they might be willing to do.

3. Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres would be a strong contender to trade for Jason Zucker after July 1. That’s because they likely won’t know if they’re going to re-sign Jeff Skinner or not until then (or right before then).

Due to their cap situation, I don’t think trading for Zucker makes too much sense if they keep Skinner around unless they can clear some cap space. But if the Sabres need to replace him, Zucker would be a very solid replacement. Both of them are skilled goal scorers.

However, there’s no question Zucker will be the cheaper of the two. There’s no way Skinner’s signing a contract that doesn’t have at least a $7 million annual cap hit. Though Zucker is the older of the two, he’s also the better value of the two.

If the Wild are looking for a Spurgeon replacement, the Sabres might have one in Rasmus Ristolainen. He’s a polarizing player for sure, but a change of scenery could do him well. Including him in the deal would certainly help things work out cap wise for the Sabres, even if they manage to keep Skinner around.

Keep in mind Buffalo has two first-round picks as well. This could help them put together a package for Zucker.

2. New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero is never shy to pull the trigger on a deal. How did he get Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri, two of his three best forwards? Shero got them in trades. Which is why I’d be surprised if the Devils aren’t among Jason Zucker’s top suitors should he hit the trade market.

Trading for him would unquestionably make them a better team. It would solidify their top six. Assuming they draft Jack Hughes, here’s what their top six with Zucker could look like.

Taylor Hall – Nico Hischier – Kyle Palmieri
Jason Zucker – Jack Hughes – Blake Coleman

If the Devils sign Hall to an extension, suddenly their top six would be looking pretty darn good and controllable. It’s not going to scare the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, or Carolina Hurricanes, but still, that’s a nice group to build around.

The Wild might have interest in the free agent rights to defenseman Will Butcher. If they do, he’d be the centerpiece of the return for Minnesota. Since the Devils have a total of five picks in the second and third rounds of the 2019 NHL Draft, at least one of those would likely be heading to the Wild as well.