Things haven’t been going so great for the Minnesota Wild lately, but after a well-received 2019 NHL Draft, GM Paul Fenton added some playmaking and positivity by signing winger Mats Zuccarello.
- Jul 01, 2019 The Dallas Stars traded a second round and third round pick for offensive help at the deadline this past season. In the form of Mats Zuccarello, Dallas found a legitimate second line scoring threat.
- Jul 01, 2019 Mats Zuccarello has signed with the Minnesota Wild, and as a result the New York Rangers will not be receiving the Dallas Stars’ 2020 first-round pick. Mats Zuccarello signs $30M, 5-year deal with.
The term is a little scary, though. Considering Zuccarello’s health history, and the fact that he’s turning 32 on Sept. 1, a five-year, $30 million contract gives some pause.
The Athletic’s Michael Russo reports that, in addition to Zuccarello, the Wild are also expected to come to terms with rambunctious winger Ryan Hartman, possibly at two years with a $3.8 million total.
Dallas acquired Zuccarello from the Rangers on Saturday in exchange for two conditional draft picks. He scored 11 goals and added 26 assists in 46 appearances with New York in 2018-19.
[PHT’S Free Agent Tracker]
With Zuccarello not re-signing with the Dallas Stars, it ties together the trade with the New York Rangers. If the Stars would have brought back Zuccarello with a new deal, they would have received a 2020 first-round pick from the Stars. Instead, it will be a third-rounder.
Tumultuous season for Zucc
The veteran winger experienced quite the highs and lows in 2018-19.
After dealing with injuries, Zuccarello really started to find some magic with Mika Zibanejad, ultimately generating 37 points in his final 46 games with the Rangers. New York decided to trade Zuccarello around deadline time, however, and moving to Dallas wasn’t the extent of Zuccarello’s drama.
During his first game with the Stars, Zuccarello was injured blocking a shot. He ended up playing only two regular season games with Dallas.
Yet, you can’t call his time with the Stars a bust, as he was brilliant during the Stars’ run that ended in Round 2. Zuccarello generated 11 points in 13 playoff games, really bringing Roope Hintz to a new level, and making Dallas more than just a one-line team. Dallas couldn’t beat St. Louis, but they really pushed the Blues, and Zuccarello made that attack more dynamic.
Now, the Wild are betting on Zuccarello doing the same, and for long enough that the term won’t be too regrettable.
Zuccarello Traded
The best-case scenario is that Zuccarello comes in and replaces some of the offense lost in the disastrous Nino Niederreiter trade (and also in losing Mikael Granlund), even though he’s a different winger from those two.
The worst-case scenario is that Zuccarello joins Zach Parise and Ryan Suter as long-term veteran commitments that look increasingly painful for a Wild team that is refusing to truly rebuild, possibly to its own detriment.
However things work out for the Wild, it’s tough not to feel great for Zuccarello, who’s earned every single thing he’s received in the NHL. That includes this $30M deal, although it remains to be seen if this investment will be worthwhile for Minnesota.
Mats Zuccarello Trade Rumors
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Matt Zuccarello Trade 2019
James O’Brien is a writer forPro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line atphtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @cyclelikesedins.