The Minnesota Wild announced on Friday they have signed forward Mats Zuccarello to a two-year contract extension.
Hip hip hooray! ✌️ more for Zuccy!
Full details » https://t.co/PdwB7PZPcM#mnwild pic.twitter.com/8jsnKFyXEK
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) September 29, 2023
Zuccarello’s new extension is worth $8.25 million, carrying an annual averaandge value of $4.125 million.
Mats Zuccarello 2x$4.125M AAV extension with MIN https://t.co/MX8eFR3qaR
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 29, 2023
This is an excellent deal for both the team and the player. Zuccarello was entering the final year of his five-year contract, which he signed in July of 2019, and had a salary cap hit of $6 million a season. He took a discount to stay with the Wild.
Since arriving in Minnesota as a free agent in 2019, Zuccarello has been an excellent fit for the Wild’s offence, especially on the top line with Kirill Kaprizov.
NHL Rumors: Minnesota Wild, and the Toronto Maple Leafs
Last season with the Wild, Zuccarello put up 67 points (22 goals and 45 assists) in 78 games. Of those 67 points, 29 of them came on the power play. As previously mentioned, Zuccarello has been an excellent fit for the Wild and the numbers prove it.
Mats Zuccarello, signed to a 2x$4.1M extension by MIN, is a veteran playmaking winger who doesn’t shoot much but has a nice finishing touch when he does. Doesn’t drive play super well, but when you spend all your time with Kaprizov you don’t really need to. #MNWild pic.twitter.com/gpjQwT5Xgl
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) September 29, 2023
Since 2019, Zuccarello has been third on the team in goals with 72, leads the team with 146 assists and ranks second in points with 218. Not to mention his power play numbers are excellent with 70 power play points over that time period with 22 goals and 48 assists.
The Norwegian-born player has recorded 573 points (186 goals and 387 assists) in 766 career NHL games. He has added another 55 points (18 goals and 37 assists) in 96 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Zuccarello has played 13 seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers, the team that drafted him, along with the Dallas Stars, and Wild. He made a trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 with the Rangers.