Mats Zuccarello

[Pistachio]

It seem like most of our chances and goals come from situations not suited to Zuccarello's play. Our TERRIBLE performance on faceoffs (including Brassard) makes us play defense way too much. This year, Zuccarello has been put in much of the same role as what Tortorella had him in. A lot of fights along the boards with very little room to make plays.

It's not just Zuccarello playing bad, it's the entire team. Not that we aren't winning or scoring, but outside the power play, a lot of these goals are because of individual play and not setting up a goal as a team. Nash is producing mostly because he has an amazing talent of getting around people and go on breakaways that not many other players have.

 

[Zucc36]

Mats has put up 11 pts in 24 games having some extremely bad luck and not playing all that well. He's a 40pt player even when nothing is going right for him.

If anything, now is not the time to trade him for crap, but to avoid giving him something like Brass got and sign him for like 4yrs/15mill. You don't think someone with his drive and his talent will pick it up? Plus, he wants to be a Ranger and stands up for the other guys 10x more than anybody else.

With the cap going up, you will have Zuccarello, Nash, Marty coming back for cheap (he's not going anywhere), and the young guys locked in, and have money to put another center out there if you don't feel like Hayes can get you to the next level, even grab a star wing and get Kreider on the 3rd line and in front of the net on the PP if you like.

8yrs/25 mill/NMC the first 5 years, and he will sign

 

[anofsti]

I agree that much of the drop comes from limited PP time at the very end of every PP. I'd like to either see them put zuccarello up on the first unit, or reshuffle both units and give them more even PP time. The current #1 unit isn't producing very much - and outside the one on the end of the game against Detroit(?) they haven't looked very dangerous either. Not that the #2 unit has looked any better either

 

[member 116805]

I agree that much of the drop comes from limited PP time at the very end of every PP. I'd like to either see them put zuccarello up on the first unit, or reshuffle both units and give them more even PP time. The current #1 unit isn't producing very much - and outside the one on the end of the game against Detroit(?) they haven't looked very dangerous either. Not that the #2 unit has looked any better either

PP units were changed last game. zucc was with nash and brassard

 

[anofsti]

Good, for the whole game? I had to get up early, so I didn't get to see it, but from the score sheet I'd guess that he was on the PP with Hagelin and Stempniak - but I'm happy they are just changing the PP up a bit again
http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20142015/ES020406.HTM

 

[Idlerlee]

Lol, avg shift of :51 seconds, more than anyone, even the defensemen

 

[Open Mind]

It seem like most of our chances and goals come from situations not suited to Zuccarello's play. Our TERRIBLE performance on faceoffs (including Brassard) makes us play defense way too much. This year, Zuccarello has been put in much of the same role as what Tortorella had him in. A lot of fights along the boards with very little room to make plays.

It's not just Zuccarello playing bad, it's the entire team. Not that we aren't winning or scoring, but outside the power play, a lot of these goals are because of individual play and not setting up a goal as a team. Nash is producing mostly because he has an amazing talent of getting around people and go on breakaways that not many other players have.

He really isn't playing bad. Take him away from Brass this season and last, and watch what a defensive mess Brassard is w/o Zucc usually getting back to the defensive zone 3 minutes before Brassard. Brassard has tacked on a lot of PP points this season, which we desperately need, but Zucc is still the better even-strength two-way hockey player of the two. By a good margin.

 

[Pistachio]

Zuccarello is nominated for "Name of the Year" in Norway. You can vote here:

http://www.dagbladet.no/2014/11/30/nyheter/arets_navn/dagbladet-karing/dagblad-karing/navn/36473303/

"Mats Zuccarello:
First Norwegian to reach the finals in the worlds most prestigious hockey league, NHL."

Chances of him winning is slim though He's up against an Ebola doctor, a chess prodigy (who won last year after winning the world championship, which he won again this year) and Nobel winners in Medicine among others. But just for him to be nominated is a great honor and shows how much interest is in all our athletes competing on the highest level. I mean, there are more articles about Zuccarello on average than our own hockey league in the major newspapers.

 

[charliemurphy]

Skjei has proven nothing. He's not even a dominant college player and he hasn't played 1 AHL game. Plus, J. Moore is hardly showing he's improving. So to me, the organization has a need for 2 left handed defenseman.

Zucc is a classy guy. He took less money last year to help the team. He wants to play here and that means something. However, business is business and they can't afford to pay him.

You say that Skjei has proven nothing and that there's a need for not 1 but 2 left-handed d'men yet you're ready to show Staal the door for a prospect.
If its a choice between signing Staal or Zucc then a person has to be out to lunch to sign Zucc over Staal. How would logic dictate that both get dealt if you feel that there is a need for 2 left-handed D'men?
If Staal is dealt you better hope to hell the Rangers get back more than a top defensive prospect.
Agree on J. Moore... I've always thought he's a one trick pony and has nothing else aside from his skates and still wonder how he's still on the team.
How did Zucc take less money last year? What makes you think he'll give the Rangers a break when it comes to signing a long term contract? FAs don't do that. Rangers have depth on wings... this is where logic would come in and dictate that Zucc would be the odd man out and be favored to be dealt.

 

[Dagh]

I mean, there are more articles about Zuccarello on average than our own hockey league in the major newspapers.

Of course there are. He wins against whole NHL teams, sometimes with a little bit of help from his New York Rangers.

 

[Idlerlee]

You say that Skjei has proven nothing and that there's a need for not 1 but 2 left-handed d'men yet you're ready to show Staal the door for a prospect.
If its a choice between signing Staal or Zucc then a person has to be out to lunch to sign Zucc over Staal. How would logic dictate that both get dealt if you feel that there is a need for 2 left-handed D'men?
If Staal is dealt you better hope to hell the Rangers get back more than a top defensive prospect.
Agree on J. Moore... I've always thought he's a one trick pony and has nothing else aside from his skates and still wonder how he's still on the team.
How did Zucc take less money last year? What makes you think he'll give the Rangers a break when it comes to signing a long term contract? FAs don't do that. Rangers have depth on wings... this is where logic would come in and dictate that Zucc would be the odd man out and be favored to be dealt.

The cap rise should ensure that that wont have to be an event we even have to consider. On that subject, Staal is playing his way to the trade board by a series of magnificent defensive blunders that directly lead to scoring.

Zucc is just going through a scoring "slump"

 

[NickyFotiu]

You say that Skjei has proven nothing and that there's a need for not 1 but 2 left-handed d'men yet you're ready to show Staal the door for a prospect.
If its a choice between signing Staal or Zucc then a person has to be out to lunch to sign Zucc over Staal. How would logic dictate that both get dealt if you feel that there is a need for 2 left-handed D'men?
If Staal is dealt you better hope to hell the Rangers get back more than a top defensive prospect.
Agree on J. Moore... I've always thought he's a one trick pony and has nothing else aside from his skates and still wonder how he's still on the team.
How did Zucc take less money last year? What makes you think he'll give the Rangers a break when it comes to signing a long term contract? FAs don't do that. Rangers have depth on wings... this is where logic would come in and dictate that Zucc would be the odd man out and be favored to be dealt.

The question is never going to be Staal or Zooks. The question is do we give Staal (one of my faves) a 36-40 mill long term contract that he likes starting at Girardi money. If it was a healthy all star Staal I would say definitely but we will have to see if Staal can be that consistent again.

 

[offdacrossbar]

The question is never going to be Staal or Zooks. The question is do we give Staal (one of my faves) a 36-40 mill long term contract that he likes starting at Girardi money. If it was a healthy all star Staal I would say definitely but we will have to see if Staal can be that consistent again.

Нет

no we don't give him the money. if we do that, we will regret that decision bigtime.

staal for sale. make an offer. no reasonable offer refused.

 

[Kovalev27]

Need to get bigger and cheaper on the wings sorry but Zucc can't come back next year needs to be dealt for a 3c or to make room for a 3c

Move hayes to right wing

 

[Gospel of Prospal]

Last year he was the leading scorer on an Eastern Conference championship team and now people want to ship him out.


Yep. Make PERFECT sense....

 

[Idlerlee]

Need to get bigger and cheaper on the wings sorry but Zucc can't come back next year needs to be dealt for a 3c or to make room for a 3c

Move hayes to right wing

Sure, MSL will take a paycut. and size isnt really a issue, unless you want to start the debate over from scratch again

 

[iamitter]

There's also the option of letting MSL taken a bonus laden contract.

 

[Whiskers*]

Tiger jack your nuts if you think they are going to commit to this guy for 8 years? He has been less than average most his NHL career. He has had about 40 good games and you want to hand out a 8 year deal? This board amazes me. He has been brutal most of the year. I say let him go!!

 

[anofsti]

Tiger jack your nuts if you think they are going to commit to this guy for 8 years? He has been less than average most his NHL career. He has had about 40 good games and you want to hand out a 8 year deal? This board amazes me. He has been brutal most of the year. I say let him go!!

I agree with the bolded part.

 

[Miller Time NYR]

Looking more and more like it was a great idea for Sather to invest long term in Brass rather than Zucc. I love Zucc he's a great heart and sole kind of guy and I think he's a couple bounces away from putting up some numbers that will quell the trade zucc crowd however at the very least he has played well defensively and that's a huge plus. I think the fact that this team has been horrific on faceoff's and the transition hasn't been great hasn't helped Zucc one bit, a lot of this teams goals have come from down low and in close and that doesn't bode well for Zucc's production, if the team can start consistently moving the puck around in the offensive zone and creating offense I think Zucc will start making thing happen and putting up points.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

You don't let Zucc go. He's valuable even as a 40pt 3rd line scorer. If we decide re-signing him isn't worth it, he has to be traded.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Need to get bigger and cheaper on the wings sorry but Zucc can't come back next year needs to be dealt for a 3c or to make room for a 3c

Move hayes to right wing

I'm getting more and more comfortable with Hayes at C. I'd wait until the deadline before acquiring a forward. If Hayes still looks good, or even gets better, I'd probably hesitate to trade assets for a forward. I think that it could be wise to really kick the tires on Sekera (or an upgrade at D in general), well, now.

 

[TheTakedown]

i'm wondering what happens if Zucc doesn't perform nearly as good as he did last year what his new cap hit will be...

Do we sign him for $3.5 plus bonuses? Do we give him a small raise? let him go?

I'd hate to see him go. He's an important part of this team. He has a quirky and fun personality, which I think is also very necessary for the room

 

[Kovalev27]

Size was def a problem in the cup final and we were actually bigger then.

Miller and Hayes on the wings help big time

I want a veteran center Vermette ideally to solidify top 9 win some faceoffs and move nash back to right wing

Zucc can't be resigned anyway move him get the space to bring in Vermette

Staal will get better

 

[Idlerlee]

Size was def a problem in the cup final and we were actually bigger then.

Miller and Hayes on the wings help big time

I want a veteran center Vermette ideally to solidify top 9 win some faceoffs and move nash back to right wing

Zucc can't be resigned anyway move him get the space to bring in Vermette

Staal will get better

If Zuccs play was identical to last years hooplah, would you be ranting about this as well then ? We're 28 games into the season, relax guy

There is room to re-sign if the organization wants to