Penguins A to Z: Jason Zucker just needs to stay healthy
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With the Penguins’ 2021-22 season coming to a quick ending in the first round of the playoffs, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at the 54 individuals who were signed to an NHL contract entering this offseason – including those whose deals do not begin until the 2022-23 season – with the organization, from mid-level prospect Niclas Almari to top-six winger Jason Zucker.
Jason Zucker
Position: Left winger
Shoots: Left
Age: 30
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 192 pounds
2021-22 NHL statistics: 41 games, 17 points (eight goals, nine assists)
Contract: In the final year of a five-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5.5 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in the 2023 offseason.
(Note: According to Cap Friendly, Zucker’s contract contains a modified no-trade clause which allows him to submit a list of 10 teams he would not accept a trade to.)
Acquired: Trade, Feb. 10, 2020
Last season: There was plenty of curiosity about Jason Zucker during the 2021 offseason.
With an expansion draft as well as the typical amount of speculation over potential trades, it was fair to wonder if Zucker would remain with the Penguins.
Ultimately, the Penguins hung on to the talented but inconsistent Zucker and that faith seemed to pay off.
Opening the 2021-22 season on the second line, Zucker got off to a sturdy start with four points (three goals, one assist) in his first six games.
That success was fleeting, however, as Zucker was only able to generate seven points (one goal, six assists) over his next 24 contests. And during the late stages of that stretch — in early December to be precise — Zucker began to develop core muscle issues that hobbled him in some form for the remainder of the season.
After being sidelined almost a month due to the ailment, Zucker had arguably the best moment of his season when the Las Vegas native was deployed on the second line with Evgeni Malkin as well as Kasperi Kapanen and scored two goals in a wild 5-3 road win against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Any momentum that triumph could have created was snuffed quickly when it was revealed Zucker’s core muscle ailment wasn’t completely healed and he missed another three games before he underwent surgery on Jan. 25.
Zucker did not return to the lineup until March 31 and almost immediately re-injured the same part of his body during a 4-3 road win against the Minnesota Wild. Early in that contest, Zucker was shoved from behind by Wild forward Kevin Fiala and tumbled into the boards awkwardly as he was essentially forced to do a split against the wall.
After missing three more games, Zucker was back in the lineup by April 9 and gutted things out for the remainder of the season.
Sidelined for the regular season finale and the first two games of the postseason, Zucker took the ice for the final five games of the Penguins’ first-round loss to the New York Rangers. Primarily utilized on the third line, Zucker, who had to sit on an elevated chair in the bench area for home games as a precaution for his injury, recorded two assists.
The future: Zucker is kind of in the same place this offseason as he was last offseason.
He’s coming off an unremarkable season in which he was banged up and with plenty of questions about his status due to his ample salary cap hit which is the fifth-largest on the team.
Clearing his contract off the books would help management — which all of a sudden has very limited salary cap space after re-signing several key players such as forwards Bryan Rust, Malkin and defenseman Kris Letang — clear some valuable space and shore up other parts of the roster. Or find a more dependable winger.
If not, Zucker will be given every chance to find success on the second or third lines.
Zucker has all the tools to be a consistent 20-goal threat. He’s proven that before in his career. A quick, determined skater, Zucker has a good shot, sharp awareness and isn’t afraid to pay a price to collect offense. Additionally, he’s a pretty popular citizen in the dressing room.
He just needs to stay healthy. That would go a long way towards the Penguins’ benefit as well as his own as a pending unrestricted free agent.