Another free agent signing has happened as Jason Zucker signs a new contract with the Buffalo Sabres. The deal is for one year and is for $5 million. This deal has an average salary cap hit of $5 million and will run through the end of the 2024-25season.
Jason Zucker Signs Deal With Sabres
Zucker has played for the Minnesota Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins, Arizona Coyotes and the Nashville Predators during his 13-year NHL career. The 32-year-old winger netted 14 goals and 18 assists in 69 games this season with the Coyotes and the Predators. His Corsi for was 51.8 and he had a relative Corsi of -1.7.
He has 196 goals and 174 assists for 370 points in 697 career games. Minnesota originally drafted Zucker in the second round, 59th overall of the 2010 NHL Draft. The Newport Beach, Calif. native played his collegiate hockey at Denver and racked up 45 goals and 91 points in 78 games before turning professional after the 2011-12 season.
He’s played for the United States at the international level. Zucker was part of the 2009 IIHF World Juniors and the gold-medal winning squad in 2010. He was also part of the 2011 IIHF World Junior team that grabbed a bronze medal.
What it Means
Zucker has settled into his role as a veteran force on a team. He came over from Arizona to Nashville at the deadline and posted five goals in 19 games with the club. The forward tallied three points in six games as the Predators lost in six games in the first round to the Vancouver Canucks.
He may not light up the scoreboard, but Zucker can still be a useful middle-six forward to a team. His cap hit last season was $5.3 million, but he could be a sneaky good signing for a club. He did score 27 goals with the Penguins in the 2022-23 season and could chip in some goals for a team in need.
Main photo by: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports
