Jason Zucker is coming to Pittsburgh. Was he worth the price? How will he fit?
Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford got his man.
The second time.
Rutherford wanted to get Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker as part of the return for Phil Kessel last summer. But Kessel rejected that deal.
No such problems this time. The left winger comes to Pittsburgh in exchange for a first-round pick (which can be deferred until 2021 in the event they miss this season’s playoffs, according to CapFriendly.com), promising defenseman Calen Addison and winger Alex Galchenyuk.
The decision of Wild general manager Bill Guerin to absorb Galchenyuk may be a favor to his old boss more than anything else, based on how he has busted in Pittsburgh so far. But that return for Zucker looks pretty good to me if I’m a Minnesota fan.
Pens Radio Network host Brian Metzer and I digest the trade in real time for you in this podcast, as we recorded just moments after the deal was announced.
One topic of conversation: Did the Penguins give up too much? In theory, I don’t think so for a winger that could get them back to the Stanley Cup Final.
I’m just concerned that Zucker isn’t that dynamic of a player.
I think he’s pretty good — 29 points in 45 games this season and 33 goals back in 2017-18. He’s got the reputation of being a good locker room guy. He’s got speed. It sounds like he might be a nice fit on wing for Sidney Crosby. And he’s locked up through 2023.
That could be good news. But it may also be bad news. Remember, part of the appeal of getting Derick Brassard was that he allegedly was going to give the Pens an extra year after he was acquired in February 2018.
By February 2019, Rutherford couldn’t wait to trade him to Florida. The Penguins better hope things work out better for Zucker.
Metzer gives me his opinions. We also discuss if the Penguins gave up the right prospect to get Zucker. Should it have been Addison? Or someone else like Nathan Legare or Pierre-Olivier Joseph?
We also get Metzer’s thoughts on how the lines will shake up now that Zucker is coming. We have some different opinions.
We also speculate that this could mean some hope for the Penguins re-signing Justin Schultz as well.
All that and more in this microwave reaction podcast to the Zucker trade.
Listen: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer break down the Jason Zucker trade.
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.
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