Last summer, the market once again wasn’t favorable to Sabres winger Jason Zucker. After playing on a one-year, $5.3MM deal last season, he ultimately had to settle for another one-year pact for this year with a small pay cut as well as he carries a $5MM price tag.
However, after last year didn’t go so well, this season has gone much better for the soon-to-be 33-year-old. A strong first half has him third in team scoring heading into tonight’s game and he’s within striking distance of scoring leader Tage Thompson. Accordingly, instead of being viewed as a short-term stopgap option as he seemingly was back in July, some are wondering if Zucker’s stint with Buffalo should be extended.
Sticking around with the Sabres is something that Zucker certainly appears to be open to. Speaking with Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic (subscription link), the veteran indicated that a new deal is something he would be very interested in and that when the time comes, they can have that conversation which suggests substantive discussions about a new deal have yet to begin.
Early in his career, Zucker was a reliable secondary scorer, notching at least 20 goals in five of his first six NHL seasons. However, injuries and inconsistency have hurt him since then as he has only reached that mark once in the last four seasons, that coming in 2022-23, his final year with Pittsburgh.
Last season, Zucker started the year with Arizona but struggled, collecting 25 points in 51 games. With the Coyotes needing to clear the rest of his contract, they were only able to secure a sixth-round pick for his services at the trade deadline. However, Zucker entered tonight’s action with 15 goals and 16 assists in his first 43 outings and is on pace for one of the best seasons of his career.
Assuming Buffalo remains out of the playoff picture, GM Kevyn Adams will have a decision to make. On the one hand, Zucker’s performance will make his market much stronger this time around. Assuming they’re willing to retain salary (something Arizona wouldn’t), the price to acquire him should even go higher. Getting a solid future asset out of a one-year investment would certainly be a strong piece of business for the Sabres.
On the other hand, Buffalo is the youngest team in the NHL and certainly benefits from Zucker’s presence. Knowing that they’ll need some solid veterans as they look to emerge from their extended rebuild, this could be a case where it makes more sense to try to keep him in the fold.
With his recent year-to-year inconsistency and the market not going his way the last couple of years, Zucker might not be in a position to command considerably more than he’s making now. Instead, term might be the focus, getting some much-desired stability security after playing for four teams over the past couple of calendar years. If a modest raise coupled with a few years on the contract is on the table, that might be enough to keep a good thing going between Zucker and the Sabres in the weeks to come.
Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.