He is not as worthless as some of the Wild fans paint him but no team should be targeting a player at his age and trajectory if they don't have a very specific role for him. If he's really cheap I don't see why rolling the dice on him would be horrible. At worst you have a rested, very experienced veteran ready to come in if someone get's injured.
Speculation: Will Mats Zuccarello return to the Rangers?
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Weltschmerz
Front Running Fan
- Apr 22, 2007
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How often do you see a team rebuild, send a player out because they have to get younger and 5 years later they take that guy back? For this season rangers have no cap space to take him anyway.
smoneil
Registered User
No cap space. Also, I have very warm memories of Zucc. I want those memories to continue being warm. A second stint at this point would likely endanger that (see Messier, Avery, Kovalev, etc).
Thank you for this dose of reality, which the OP clearly doesn’t understand.
Any hard feelings against Zucc by Wild fans on these boards were mainly caused by a self appointed super fan who migrated over to the MN board, and immediately acted like an arse.
MessierII
Registered User
- Aug 10, 2011
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Why would the wild be extending a 36 year old a year out?
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What I'm talking about is a scenario where Zuccarello wants to go to a more realistic cup contender, and has already made it clear to the Wild that he does not intend to re-sign there. He's been in this league for 13 years, but still hasn't won a cup.
In that case Guerin will have to trade him if he wants a return for his value. And then I don't see the point in waiting for the TDL.
theVladiator
Registered User
- May 26, 2018
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In the cap world, the value is just higher at TDL.
I think Wild also needs Zuccarello, at least this year. Without him they'd either have to become a 1-line team, or play Kaprizov and Boldy essentially on separate 3rd lines.
SingnBluesOnBroadway
Retired
Zucc has been good for the Wild, after his first injury riddled year. I think Wild fans take for granted how seamlessly he has fit with Kaprizov… not everyone can play with a star, but Zucc has done it very well, and helped Kap get settled off the ice, too.
Having said all that, MN has next to no chance of being a Cup content this year, and probably the next, even though the future looks bright after that. Trading Zucc at the TDL, perhaps with a bit of retention, makes a ton of sense if MN gets a decent return.
All this is supposing he doesn’t fall off a cliff, probably due to injury. Speed isn’t his game…IQ and puck handling is. Small, obviously, but has learned to take care of himself in traffic, and is surprisingly good in puck battles.
Kocur Dill
picklicious
- Feb 7, 2010
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I dont remember him being a play driver with NYR either though.
He strong suits were always puck control/steals along the wall with a quick feed, or finding open ice himself on the goalies blind side while his mates were cycling.
Assists, turn overs, and high percent opportunity goals were his trademarks.
I can imagine him as a very valuable asset on Panarins line with Trochek responsible for draws, D, and just parking in front of the net for garbage goals. Have Zibanejad between Kakko and Lafreniere, and Chytil center Kreider and Wheeler as a speeding North/South line.
If the playoffs have taught me one thing, it's that the NHL is a Heads/Tails league. You get into the playoffs by playing one way, but you excel in them by playing the other way.
This is why the Leafs fall on their face every year. The tactics that make them a top 5 team in the regular season don't work when the whistles go away, they don't get the calls they are used to getting, and the opposition is going upside their head in every corner without fear and they have no reply.
That lesson has taught me that for the post season, the season that matters, you need to be really mean or really fast. Zucc isn't either one of those things.
I've been a fan of this team long enough to know you don't make moves to feel good or for nostalgia. I'm out.
This is why the Leafs fall on their face every year. The tactics that make them a top 5 team in the regular season don't work when the whistles go away, they don't get the calls they are used to getting, and the opposition is going upside their head in every corner without fear and they have no reply.
That lesson has taught me that for the post season, the season that matters, you need to be really mean or really fast. Zucc isn't either one of those things.
I've been a fan of this team long enough to know you don't make moves to feel good or for nostalgia. I'm out.
Hischier and Hughes
“I love to hockey”
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That should be a sign that he's not as good as his numbers suggest.
But there are other factors too. Namely, his age, his contract status, the teams cap issues, and the insufferable nature of certain people that have nothing to do with Zuccarello as a player or person.
TheReelChuckFletcher
Former TheRillestPaulFenton; Harverd Alum
Zuccarello screams like one of those one year Carolina veteran-without-a-cup swings. He'd be a great fit here, too.
- Dec 10, 2012
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He's had some really good stretches here where you can see that he's a very good complementary player for a guy like Kaprizov. But last year he was a passenger at best and a liability at worst. He's still a smart player, he still has good vision, but the physical aspects fell off, he can't make the plays anymore. Constantly turning the puck over under pressure, forcing bad passes to Kaprizov, losing puck battles all over the ice. After the first few games his shot disappeared for a long time. he's not fast nor strong. He was just a largely ineffective player. And once again he turned into a pumpkin in the playoffs, and we got the excuse that he was injured, which is obviously another worrying trend.
It's probably not all his fault. He's not a first line caliber player and the coach keeps using him as one because of his chemistry with Kaprizov. Give him a pay cut and drop him down the lineup and nobody complains about him, but unfortunately neither of those things are realistic right now, so it is what it is.
- Nov 7, 2017
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Again, I'd say you shouldn't believe what Wild fans are saying...
Guerin was on KFAN radio a few days ago. Sounds like he really wants Zuccarello to stay, it probably also means a lot to Kaprizov. Maybe they'll agree on a deal, and Zucc will put his personal goal of winning a cup behind him.
Guerin was on KFAN radio a few days ago. Sounds like he really wants Zuccarello to stay, it probably also means a lot to Kaprizov. Maybe they'll agree on a deal, and Zucc will put his personal goal of winning a cup behind him.
- Jul 28, 2011
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It's not about boo hoo we didn't get the calls and we're scared they're going to take cheap shots, or come hard at us without fear. It's about the time and space. It's tough to play that style for 82 games, it's more physical and more taxing on the body, but during the playoffs teams find ways to take away space. Players who are use to having space either adapt or they don't. But I agree, he doesn't really bring anything we lacked, so the move really doesn't make any sense.
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An article from noted hockey source USAToday? Yes. I disagree with it. Click bait.
Pavel Buchnevich
"Pavel Buchnevich The Fake"
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