Pittsburgh Penguins should pursue a Jason Zucker trade

If the Pittsburgh Penguins want to add a forward, they should target Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker, who they nearly got during the summer.

Once again, Evgeni Malkin has thrived in the absence of Sidney Crosby. Malkin has produced 21 points in 15 games since Crosby aggravated a sports hernia injury. The Pittsburgh Penguins top line of Jake Guentzel, Malkin, and Bryan Rust has been a force and has all three players firing on all cylinders simultaneously.

Malkin has been dynamite alongside Guentzel and Rust. Per Natural Stat Trick, Malkin’s all situations points per 60 of 4.35 is the third-best in the NHL. While Malkin is 33 years old and regression is likely, that is currently the highest mark of his career. Despite missing 13 games, Malkin’s 20 points at even-strength play this season rank tenth best in the league. He is performing at an MVP level.

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Malkin’s increased production is no coincidence. Every time that Crosby misses time due to injury, Malkin receives a quality of teammate boost. Malkin is seeing more ice-time with the other high-end skaters on this roster.

Sharing the ice with Guentzel and Kris Letang will lead to more offense than it would if you were playing with Alex Galchenyuk and Justin Schultz. That has been the case this time around. That was the case in Malkin’s 2012-13 MVP season, when he consistently played alongside the team’s best winger in Chris Kunitz, the sniper in James Neal, and defenseman in Kris Letang.

In all likelihood, Crosby and Guentzel will be reunited when Crosby returns in the next couple of weeks. Crosby will share the bulk of his even-strength ice time with the team’s best winger (Guentzel) and defenseman (Letang). If and when this happens, Malkin’s production will likely drop.

To maximize this roster, the Penguins will need Crosby and Malkin to be firing on all cylinders at the same time. To do that, Malkin needs a bit more support. This is why I feel that the Penguins need another top-six winger for Malkin and should have made a stronger push to acquire Taylor Hall.

With Hall now in Arizona, my preferred target for Pittsburgh would be Jason Zucker of the Minnesota Wild.

Zucker is a 27-year-old left winger who is signed through the 2022-23 season at a cap hit of 5.5M. Zucker is currently second on the Wild with 24 points and is on pace for 28 goals this season.

The Penguins’ interest in Zucker dates back to June of 2019 when he was the primary piece of the proposed Phil Kessel to Minnesota deal that was not completed. It is important to remember that this deal was agreed upon until Phil Kessel refused to waive his no-trade clause.

Here is a look at all 21 of Zucker’s goals from last season.

This season, Zucker’s all situations points per 60 ranks third on the Wild. It would rank fifth on the Penguins. Per Hockey-Reference, 81 percent (106 of 130) of Zucker’s career goals have been scored during even-strength play. Zucker has scored a minimum of 20 goals in five of his six NHL seasons. From a possession standpoint, Zucker has been positive relative to his teammates in all situations. At just even-strength, he has seen a slight drop-off this season. He is slightly below the team-average in that regard. However, he would be benefitting from the quality of teammate boost in Pittsburgh.

Anyways, my point here is that Zucker appears to fit the criteria that Tocchet explained. He goes to the net, reads off of teammates quite well, and is great at opening up in the slot-area for his center to get him the puck. I did not see many instances in which Zucker was forcing against the grain plays or passes. Zucker also has a very good wrist shot but does not appear to be overly dependent on it.

At this point, Minnesota is unlikely to qualify for the playoffs this spring. Former Penguins Executive Bill Guerin is in his first year as Minnesota’s General Manager. I am not sure of what Minnesota’s asking price for Zucker would be, but I suspect it would include a first-round pick. It is noteworthy that Nick Bjugstad is a Minnesota native and the Wild’s center depth is underwhelming. The goaltending tandem of Devan Dubnyk and Alex Stalock is not a long-term answer. Pittsburgh has Tristan Jarry and Casey DeSmith to potentially offer. Guerin obviously knows all levels of the Penguins organization very well.

When Jim Rutherford acquires forwards with term, he tends to part ways with his first-round picks. David Perron, Phil Kessel, and Derrick Brassard all had at least one year remaining on their contracts when they became members of the Penguins. A first-round pick was traded to acquire all three of them. I would bet that Rutherford would move it for a non-rental forward.

While I am obviously not the coach, I would construct these forward lines if the Penguins were to acquire Zucker.

Jake Guentzel – Sidney Crosby – Dominik Kahun
Jason Zucker – Evgeni Malkin – Bryan Rust
Dominik Simon – Jared McCann – Patric Hornqvist
Zach Aston-Reese – Teddy Blueger – Brandon Tanev

This lineup spreads the offensive wealth. Alongside Zucker and Rust, Malkin would be put in a position to succeed on a consistent basis. In my opinion, Pittsburgh needs to load up on the top-six forwards. Obviously, the Penguins do not have the luxury of Phil Kessel anymore. But Dominik Simon and Patric Hornqvist are terrific defensive forwards who are more than capable of controlling territory and providing secondary scoring.

The quality of the teammate really matters. Even to future hall-of-famers such as Geno Malkin. Here’s to hoping that the Penguins are aware of this, and go out and acquire a legitimate top-six winger to add upfront and help Malkin maintain his current pace. Thanks for reading!