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Jason Zucker

Sabres Reassign Joshua Dunne

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March 28: The Sabres announced they reassigned Dunne to Rochester today. He suited up in last night’s 7-3 drubbing of the Penguins but still managed to record a minus-one rating in 6:55 of ice time. His demotion comes after winger Jason Zucker returned to practice following a personal leave that caused him to miss Thursday’s game, per Heather Engel of NHL.com, so he should be back in the lineup tomorrow afternoon against the Flyers. Buffalo’s active roster now stands at 24.

March 25: The Buffalo Sabres have recalled forward Joshua Dunne from the minor leagues. This marks Dunne’s second recall of the season after spending six days with the NHL club earlier this month. Dunne made his Sabres debut during that stint, recording a fighting major and minus-two in seven minutes of ice time. It was the 15th NHL game of Dunne’s career. The previous 14 came with the Columbus Blue Jackets – split between six games in the 2020-21 season and eight in the 2022-23 season. Dunne has yet to manage his first NHL point but has totaled 15 penalty minutes and a minus-nine.

Despite squaring up for his first regular-season NHL fight on his last recall, Dunne has been far less the bruiser in the minors. He’s recorded just 44 penalty minutes in 58 AHL games this season, sixth-most on the Rochester Americans. Dunne has paired those PIMs with nine goals, 26 points, and a plus-11 on the season. It’s been a strong year, though he’s still well clear of the career-high 20 goals, 37 points, and 71 penalty minutes he recorded in 65 games of the 2022-23 AHL season. He lost all but 25 games and seven points of his 2023-24 campaign to a lengthy injury.

Dunne signed with the Blue Jackets as an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2020-21 season. He managed an impressive 10 points in 15 games to start his AHL career but hasn’t found a way to mount the same scoring in four seasons since. Still, his go-to status for the Sabres highlights the impacts Dunne has created away from the puck. He will serve as Buffalo’s extra forward on Tuesday night as Joshua Norris, Jordan Greenway, and Sam Lafferty are expected to sit out with injuries.

Sabres Agree To Terms On Two-Year Extension With Jason Zucker

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12:47 p.m.: The Sabres have confirmed the two-year extension for Zucker. He’ll make $9.5MM in total, which is good for a $4.75MM AAV in each year of the contract.

9:53 a.m.: Believed to be a strong trade candidate as a pending unrestricted free agent, the Sabres were looking to get Jason Zucker off the market entirely.  They’ve accomplished just that as TSN’s Darren Dreger reports (Twitter link) that the sides are in agreement on a two-year, $9.75MM contract extension.

The 33-year-old had to settle for a one-year contract last season, spending time between Arizona and Nashville, who acquired him in a low-cost trade deadline rental move. However, he was only able to notch 14 goals and 18 assists in 69 games between the two sides which was certainly not a good for his open market value.  Accordingly, Zucker ultimately accepted another one-year pact in July, signing for $5MM.

That has worked out well for both sides.  While Buffalo has struggled and is set to miss the playoffs once again this year, Zucker has bounced back nicely.  Through 54 games this season, he has 18 goals and 26 assists, giving him a realistic shot at a 50-point campaign, a plateau he has only reached once in his career.  With the 44 points he has now, he sits fifth on the Sabres in scoring.

Zucker made it known back in January that he was interested in extending his stay with Buffalo and he was true to his word.  Even with a big jump in the salary cap coming, he winds up taking a small pay cut with the AAV of this new deal checking in at $4.75MM.  If he had a good finish to his season – in Buffalo or elsewhere – it’s possible that he could have landed at least a small raise on the open market while also potentially getting a multi-year deal.  Instead, he opts for some stability with where he’s comfortable.

While the Sabres now won’t be getting anything for what was likely to be one of their better trade chips, there’s certainly value in keeping Zucker around.  All rebuilding teams need quality veterans and Zucker certainly has been one of them and he’ll now fill a spot in their top six for a couple more years.

With the signing, Buffalo now has a little under $24MM in cap room for next season, per PuckPedia with 15 players under contract.  While they have a prominent pending RFA to contend with in Bowen Byram, the Sabres should still have ample cap space to try to add another quality veteran or two to their roster this summer.

Photo courtesy of Imagn Images.

Injury Notes: Orlov, Stillman, Mazur, Quinn

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The Carolina Hurricanes announced in the minutes leading up to Thursday night’s game that top-four defenseman Dmitry Orlov would sit out with a day-to-day injury. His last-minute absence forced defenseman Riley Stillman, Carolina’s only extra skater, into the lineup. Stillman was placed on waivers earlier in the day with the intention of being assigned to the minor leagues.

Stillman suffered an injury of his own partway through the game after taking the skate of Boston Bruins forward John Beecher to the face. Stillman headed immediately down the tunnel. He was ruled out for the rest of Thursday night’s game per Chip Alexander of the Raleigh News and Observer, but no further updates were provided.

Orlov’s absence leaves a sizeable hole on the Hurricanes’ blue-line. He ranks second among the team’s defenders with 24 points in 62 games. Orlov also averages the third-most ice time on the team, with 19:42 putting him just a couple of minutes behind the top pair of Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns. Orlov is also Carolina’s second-most-used defenseman on the penalty-kill behind Burns. The Hurricanes will be forced to fill all of his roles in the short term and will need to make a roster move to do so, with Stillman likely out. Top prospect Scott Morrow – the points leader among Chicago Wolves defenseman (39 points) – will be the most likely candidate for a call-up.

More injury notes around the league:

  • Detroit Red Wings rookie Carter Mazur went down the tunnel just one minute into his NHL debut, after awkwardly bumping into Utah Hockey Club forward Jack McBain. His injury was listed as upper-body in a formal statement from the team. No indication of Mazur’s timeline has been provided. The news brings an unfortunate end to what was a dream night for the Michigan-native. Mazur has scored 15 points in 20 AHL games this year and looked set to land fourth-line minutes after the departure of Andrew Copp to injury and Christian Fischer to waivers. But Detroit may need to go searching for a new fill-in, which could define their Trade Deadline approach with less than a day left.
  • Top Buffalo Sabres winger Jack Quinn left the team’s Thursday night game midway through the first period due to illness. No further details were disclosed. Quinn skated for four shifts and 2:25 in ice time before exiting. He leaves a notable hole behind him after recording three points in his last five games. That scoring streak has brought Quinn to 10 goals and 24 points in 53 games this season. Buffalo isn’t currently carrying any extra forwards, with Jason Zucker out with a “frustrating” injury per Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. That could prompt Buffalo to make a roster move, or shop for a depth forward on the open market – should Quinn need to miss additional time with his illness.

Sabres And Jason Zucker Have Started Extension Talks

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Veteran winger Jason Zucker has been a nice addition for the Sabres this season and he is on pace for one of his best offensive years.  As a pending unrestricted free agent, Buffalo will soon have a decision to make in terms of flipping him by the March 7th trade deadline or trying to sign him to a contract extension.  Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported earlier this week that their preference is the latter as the two sides recently held preliminary discussions about a new deal.

The 33-year-old played on a one-year contract last season, splitting time between Arizona and Nashville.  However, he was only able to collect 14 goals and 18 assists in 69 regular season games between the two sides which didn’t help his market value heading into free agency last summer.  As a result, Zucker ultimately settled for another one-year pact in July, signing for $5MM.

That deal has worked out well for both sides.  Zucker has already surpassed his numbers from last season, putting up 18 goals and 23 assists in 52 games.  His 41 points put him fourth on the team in scoring but only two points behind Rasmus Dahlin for a share of second place.  Barring injury, Zucker appears to be well on his way toward recording his seventh career season of at least 20 goals.

Last month, Zucker acknowledged that he’d be interested in extending his stay with Buffalo.  Speculatively, he’d want a multi-year agreement this time around and according to Lysowski, that appears to be something that’s on the table.  With a $7.5MM jump in the Upper Limit of the salary cap coming next season, Zucker now should be able to land a small raise on his current price tag as well.

Lysowski adds that GM Kevyn Adams’ preference is to not sell over the next three weeks despite their placement at the bottom of the Eastern Conference so clearly, his preference is to get a new agreement in place.  However, it appears that if Zucker prefers to move on and land with a contender, they will grant that request and then attempt to bring him back in the summer.  In the meantime, they have three more weeks to see if contract discussions can yield a new deal.

Jason Zucker Interested In Signing Extension With Sabres

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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.

Sabres Sign Jason Zucker

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Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports the Buffalo Sabres have agreed to a one-year, $5MM contract with free agent forward Jason Zucker.

Zucker, 32, projects to be a cheaper veteran replacement for Jeff Skinner, who had the final three seasons of his $9MM AAV contract bought out on Saturday. Unfortunately, he’s also a lower-ceiling option. Zucker had just 14 goals in 69 games split between the Coyotes and Predators last season, his lowest offensive output in a healthy season since 2015-16.

He’s still a viable depth scoring option, just likely not in a top-six role for a team intent on making the playoffs. Buffalo likely believes there’s some rebound potential they can unlock by sticking him with some faster, younger linemates – potentially in the top six alongside Dylan Cozens and Jack Quinn. However, Zucker is seven years removed from his career-best 33-goal, 64-point season in Minnesota – is it fair to expect him to sniff rediscovering that?

Zucker does play a physical game for his smallish frame (5’11”, 192 lbs), though, an area Skinner’s game notably lacked. It’s a facet of Buffalo’s team game they’re likely looking to improve under head coach Lindy Ruff next season. Unlike Skinner, Zucker also has a strong history of recent possession numbers and plays a much more well-rounded game. Still, for a $5MM price tag, they’re likely hoping for at least 20 goals and 45 points out of him this year.

West Notes: Predators, Nilsson, Henrique, Larson

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The Predators have half a dozen pending unrestricted free agents to decide on this summer.  Alex Daugherty of The Tennessean profiles each case, suggesting that of the six, wingers Jason Zucker and Kiefer Sherwood are the likeliest to stick around.  Zucker provided some depth scoring for the Preds down the stretch, collecting five goals in 19 games after being acquired from Arizona at the deadline and while he’s almost certainly facing a pay cut from the $5.3MM he made this season, he could still command a fair-sized salary considering he’s only a year removed from a 27-goal campaign in Pittsburgh.

As for Sherwood, the 29-year-old was a full-time NHLer for the first time, getting into a career-best 68 games this season where he had 10 goals and 17 assists along with 234 hits in just over 12 minutes a night.  Considering the effectiveness of that fourth trio and the fact that his linemates have already received two-year extensions, it stands to reason that the Predators would like to keep that trio intact.  However, after playing for the league minimum for four straight seasons, Sherwood appears to be well-positioned to potentially double that on his next contract.

More from the West:

  • Still with Nashville, Predators prospect Felix Nilsson has been loaned to IK Oskarshamn for 2024-25, his SHL team in Rogle announced. The 18-year-old was the 43rd overall pick last June and split the season between the SHL and Sweden’s junior league.  He played in 41 games with Rogle but in a limited role, notching just three points.  Meanwhile, at the junior level, Nilsson added 23 points in 22 regular season contests.  The decision to loan him to the second-tier Allsvenskan level is an in-between step, allowing him to play at a higher level than he would have in junior but in a more prominent role than he’d have likely had in Rogle.
  • The Oilers won’t have Adam Henrique back for tonight’s seventh and deciding game against Vancouver, relays TSN’s Ryan Rishaug (Twitter link). The veteran suffered an ankle injury in the first game of the series and hasn’t played since.  He had two points in his first six playoff games before the injury in his first taste of playoff action since 2018.
  • The Ducks have invited winger Joey Larson to their upcoming development camp, reports Mark Divver of the New England Hockey Journal (Twitter link). The 23-year-old had a strong sophomore year at Michigan State this season, leading the Spartans in goals with 16 while adding 16 helpers in 38 games.

Predators Acquire Jason Zucker

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The Nashville Predators have acquired veteran forward Jason Zucker from the Arizona Coyotes, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. Zucker was scratched in Arizona’s Thursday night game for trade-related reasons, along with defenseman Matt Dumba. The Coyotes will be receiving Dallas’ 2024 sixth-round pick in return, per The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun. Nashville acquired the pick at the 2023 draft when Dallas traded up into the third round. The deal notably comes with no salary retention. The teams later made the trade official.

Zucker is in his first year with the Coyotes, signing a one-year, $5.3MM contract with the team on July 1st. He’s since had a modest year, scoring nine goals and 25 points in 51 games – a step down from the 27 goals and 48 points he managed in 78 games with the Pittsburgh Penguins last year. He’ll now change hands once again, joining the fourth team of his career in Nashville. While his high scoring last season seemingly came out of nowhere, with Zucker failing to even reach 20 points in the two seasons prior, his performances in Arizona have shown he can still bring a punch to the depths of a lineup, even in year 13.

Zucker joins Anthony Beauvillier as Nashville’s newest additions – with both players likely to round out the team’s third line, filling the hole left by Yakov Trenin, who was traded to the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday. The Predators also acquired flexible forward Jaret Anderson-Dolan off of waivers from the Los Angeles Kings. The new pieces will help Nashville round out a bottom-six that features just three players who have crested 20 points this season. Their presence likely forces Mark Jankowski out of the lineup, while Kiefer Sherwood and Cole Smith will now have to compete for their roles.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Coyotes Scratch Jason Zucker For Trade-Related Reasons

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TSN’s Chris Johnston is reporting that the Arizona Coyotes will scratch forward Jason Zucker in the team’s game tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks for trade-related reasons. Johnston is also reporting that multiple teams have shown interest in Zucker leading up to the trade deadline.

Over the summer, Zucker signed a one-year, $5.3MM contract with the Coyotes, as the unspoken truth at the time is that both player and team had envisioned this scenario coming to fruition. Zucker has primarily played in the team’s middle six, while also garnering some time on the team’s second powerplay unit.

Regularly counted upon for 20 goals a season earlier in his career, unfortunately, Zucker will not come close to that this year. Suiting up in 51 games for Arizona, Zucker has scored nine goals and 25 points overall, sitting ninth on the team in scoring.

As the goals have decreased for Zucker, his game’s physicality has made a sharp incline. He currently sits fifth on the team in hits after finishing first on the Pittsburgh Penguins last season. Zucker has always been a defensively sound forward, and his physical play may make for a solid addition to any postseason-bound team.

With the Coyotes able to retain two more salaries, they could get Zucker’s salary down to $2.65MM without a third team getting involved. With no trade imminent, Zucker could be an enticing piece for the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Vegas Golden Knights, or any contending team looking to bring more defensively-minded forwards into the mix.

Morning Notes: Zucker, Dumba, Villalta, Hellberg

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The Arizona Coyotes are open to trading veteran forward Jason Zucker and defenseman Matt Dumba, The Fourth Period reports. Both players are on expiring contracts and could be cheap options for added depth. Zucker has scored eight goals and 22 points in 46 games this season, while Dumba has managed just nine points in 52 games of his own.

This update doesn’t come as much of a surprise, although it does deviate from reports earlier in the season that shared the Coyotes were focused on adding older, veteran presences. But the Coyotes’ season has fallen to shambles since the calendar turned over, with the team currently riding an 11-game losing streak and sporting a 4-15-2 record in 2024. It’s been a heavy fall for a team that carried a winning record through early December. But with the losses has come a return to form for Arizona, who are once again focused on selling veteran talents to bolster their future capital. Arizona has two available salary retention spots open and may need to use them to make any trade of Zucker, who carries a $5.3MM cap hit, or Dumba, who has a $3.9MM cap hit, work for cap-strapped teams. Even then, the return for either player – one now 32 and the other struggling to produce – likely wouldn’t be too profitable for the Coyotes.

Other notes from around the league:

  • The Coyotes have sent down goaltender Matthew Villalta, suggesting that Connor Ingram could be nearing a return from an undisclosed injury that’s held him out for the last week. Villalta played in his first two NHL games while filling in for Ingram, saving 24 of the 29 shots he faced in 72 minutes of ice time. He’s primarily operated as the starting goalie for the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners, where he’s managed 22 wins and a .913 save percentage in 34 games.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-assigned goaltender Magnus Hellberg to their AHL affiliate the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins just three days after recalling him. It appears the Penguins made the move as a precaution in case one of their NHL netminders were unable to play. The 32-year-old did see NHL action earlier in the year, dressing in three games for the Penguins in which he went 1-0-0 with a 2.50 goals against average and a .922 save percentage.

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