Penguins A to Z: Jason Zucker finds a fit

While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 53 individuals under NHL contract with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to high-profile trade acquisition Jason Zucker.

Player: Jason Zucker

Position: Left winger

Shoots: Left

Age: 28

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 192 pounds

2019-20 NHL statistics: 60 games, 41 points (20 goals, 21 assists)

Contract: Second year of a five-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5.5 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in 2023

Acquired: Trade, Feb. 10, 2020

(Note: The Penguins acquired Zucker from the Minnesota Wild for a conditional first-round draft pick. Assuming the NHL’s postseason plan is enacted, if the Penguins don’t advance past the qualifying round, they have the option of deferring this pick until 2021.)

This season: The Penguins had agreed to a trade for Jason Zucker last June.

They just couldn’t execute it.

Having seen their mostly fruitful relationship with talented but flawed forward Phil Kessel run its course, the Penguins looked to jettison him with hopes of regaining some of the considerable offense he was capable of producing.

The proposed trade between Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford and his counterpart with the Minnesota Wild, Paul Fenton, called for Kessel as well as defenseman Jack Johnson to go to Minnesota for Zucker as well as forward Victor Rask.

But Kessel nixed the transaction thanks to the clause in his contract that gave him control over where he could be traded. As a result, the Penguins had to settle for a deal with the Arizona Coyotes that netted an unappetizing 45 games and 17 points from disappointing Alex Galchenyuk.

Ultimately, the Penguins got their man.

After All-Star forward Jake Guentzel suffered a severe right shoulder injury in December, Rutherford began looking once again for a top-six winger to replace his offense and began to kick the tires on Zucker again. Working with Bill Guerin, who was installed as the Wild’s general manager two months after the Kessel deal fizzled out, Rutherford, who professed a fondness for Zucker over many years, acquired the steady 20-goal threat for Galchenyuk, promising defensive prospect Calen Addison and a conditional draft pick.

Zucker needed little time to show he was capable of filling the void left by Guentzel’s absence.

He needed two games, to be precise.

Blanked in his first game with the Penguins, Zucker came through with two goals in his second game and quickly showed he was more than capable of keeping up with the frenetic pace with which top center Sidney Crosby operates.

(Video courtesy NHL)

Primarily used on the left wing of Crosby’s line, Zucker, who was not used regularly on the top power-play unit, recorded 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 15 games with the Penguins before the NHL halted play.

The future: One of the biggest questions regarding the Penguins’ lineup in the event of a resumption of play is where Zucker will be used.

Should Guentzel be healthy enough to return to the lineup, that creates something of a logjam of talented left wingers among the top-six forwards. Guentzel’s chemistry with Crosby is well documented, but Zucker clearly displayed a cohesion with the Penguins’ captain in a small sample size.

While Guentzel played well during a limited deployment on a line with Evgeni Malkin throughout November and December, Zucker rarely stepped on the ice with Malkin in five-on-five situations.

Assuming no further injuries, the Penguins’ depth up front figures to bump Zucker to the second power-play unit.

Even beyond this season, the future looks bright for Zucker and the Penguins as he has three years left on his contract and is still on the right side of 30.

Follow the Penguins all season long.