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Jason Zucker

#17 · Left wing · Buffalo Sabres

Born Jan 16, 1992 in Newport Beach, California, USA (age 34) · 5'11", 200 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 59th overall in 2010 by MIN (round 2)

Trophy case

King Clancy Memorial Trophy Leadership and Humanitarian Contribution 2018-19

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2014-15. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Leo Komarov TOR · 26 P in 62 GP John Mitchell COL · 26 P in 68 GP Colton Sceviour DAL · 26 P in 71 GP Alex Chiasson OTT · 26 P in 76 GP Andrew Shaw CHI · 26 P in 79 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

02040602011-12: 2 points211-122012-13: 5 points52013-14: 5 points513-142014-15: 26 points262015-16: 23 points2315-162016-17: 47 points472017-18: 64 points6417-182018-19: 42 points422019-20: 41 points4119-202020-21: 18 points182021-22: 17 points1721-222022-23: 48 points482023-24: 32 points3223-242024-25: 53 points532025-26: 45 points4525-26

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2011-12 MIN 6 0 2 2 -2 2 10 5 0.33 $772K
2012-13 MIN 20 4 1 5 4 8 34 11 0.25 $772K
2013-14 MIN 21 4 1 5 2 2 40 16 0.24 $772K
2014-15 MIN 51 21 5 26 -9 18 124 67 0.51 $900K
2015-16 MIN 71 13 10 23 -4 20 158 83 0.32 $900K
2016-17 MIN 79 22 25 47 34 30 172 73 0.59 $2M
2017-18 MIN 82 33 31 64 8 44 222 80 0.78 $2M
2018-19 MIN 81 21 21 42 -9 28 214 87 0.52 $5.5M
2019-20 MIN 45 14 15 29 -3 19 75 35 0.64 $5.5M
2019-20 PIT 15 6 6 12 -1 2 36 18 0.80
2020-21 PIT 38 9 9 18 -8 21 67 69 0.47 $5.5M
2021-22 PIT 41 8 9 17 -2 15 102 66 0.41 $5.5M
2022-23 PIT 78 27 21 48 -4 47 197 198 0.62 $5.5M
2023-24 ARI 51 9 16 25 -5 58 104 74 0.49 $5.3M
2023-24 NSH 18 5 2 7 -4 23 46 24 0.39
2024-25 BUF 73 21 32 53 4 57 143 68 0.73 $5M
2025-26 BUF 62 24 21 45 -5 23 128 57 0.73 $4.75M
15 seasons Career 832 241 227 468 -4 417 1872 1031 0.56

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2012-13 MIN 5 1 1 2 1 0 11 4 0.40
2014-15 MIN 10 2 1 3 -1 2 21 20 0.30
2015-16 MIN 6 0 2 2 -4 2 3 7 0.33
2016-17 MIN 5 1 0 1 -1 2 20 10 0.20
2017-18 MIN 5 0 0 0 -4 0 8 3 0.00
2019-20 PIT 4 2 0 2 0 0 12 8 0.50
2020-21 PIT 6 2 1 3 -1 2 12 22 0.50
2021-22 PIT 5 0 2 2 -3 2 9 23 0.40
2023-24 NSH 6 1 2 3 4 2 17 15 0.50
2025-26 BUF 13 2 2 4 -4 4 18 20 0.31
10 seasons Playoffs 65 11 11 22 -13 16 131 132 0.34

2014-15 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
51 21 5 26 -9 18 124 67 0.51 16.9 15:04

Contract

$900KCap hitends in 2016
$35KCap dollars per point26 points in 51 games
$136KCap dollars per goal above replacement6.6 goals above replacement
$4.5MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$3.6MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 649 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Minnesota Wild on Jul 15, 2014, as a new contract: 2 years and $1.801M, beginning in 2014-15. It runs through 2015-16, with 1 season left after this one.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2014-15 $900K $851K $0 $851K
2015-16 $900K $950K $0 $950K

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Mar 7, 2025 Buffalo Sabres Extension 2025-26 to 2026-27 2 $9.5M $4.75M
Jul 1, 2024 Buffalo Sabres New contract 2024-25 to 2024-25 1 $5M $5M
Jul 1, 2023 Arizona Coyotes New contract 2023-24 to 2023-24 1 $5.3M $5.3M
Jul 25, 2018 Minnesota Wild New contract 2018-19 to 2022-23 5 $27.5M $5.5M
Jun 29, 2016 Minnesota Wild Extension 2016-17 to 2017-18 2 $4M $2M
Jul 15, 2014 Minnesota Wild New contract 2014-15 to 2015-16 2 $1.801M $900K
Mar 27, 2012 Minnesota Wild Entry-level 2011-12 to 2013-14 3 $2.5M $772K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2014-15 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2014-15 playoff analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+0.5Goals above replacementsix goals are worth about one win
+0.1Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+0.1Goals above averagethe five parts below added up
Even-strength offence-0.1Even-strength defence-0.1Power play0.0Penalty kill+0.0Penalties+0.3

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. A playoff run is too short to rank anyone on. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-5051015202011-122013-142015-162017-182019-202021-222023-242025-26Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

43.8Corsi for %99 attempts for, 127 against
-3.4CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
47.2Expected goals for %4.3 expected for, 4.8 against
-5.3xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
45.1Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
37.5Goals for %3 for, 5 against
96.4PDO4.8% shooting + 91.5% saves
29Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

These are left plain: he has not been on the ice enough to be ranked. That takes at least 200 shot attempts with him out there, about six or seven games, and a quarter of what the busiest skater has. Over a game or two these numbers are mostly chance.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Mikko Koivu · Chris Stewart · Jason Zucker651:2644.049.11-2
Thomas Vanek · Jason Zucker · Charlie Coyle536:3342.949.92-3
Mikko Koivu · Jason Zucker · Charlie Coyle111:3757.152.60-0
Mikko Koivu · Jason Zucker · Nino Niederreiter210:5057.944.30-0

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

2Goalsnot counting empty-netters
2.0Expected goalsfrom 27 unblocked attempts
+0.0Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.83 expected goals per 60 minutes70th
Shot quality 7.3% chance per attempt57th
Finishing +0.0 goals above expected57thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 63 who played at least a quarter as much as the busiest in these playoffs.

00.511.52Goals 2Expected 2.0

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took in these playoffs, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. There is a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. "Show as heat map" shades the ice by where the attempts came from. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 11, 2015 @ STL L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 15:22
Apr 9, 2015 @ NSH W 4-2 2 0 2 0 0 3 1 15:03
Apr 7, 2015 @ CHI W 2-1 1 0 1 1 0 5 1 15:47
Feb 9, 2015 vs VAN W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 02:59
Feb 7, 2015 vs COL W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 15:32
Feb 3, 2015 vs CHI W 3-0 1 0 1 2 2 2 2 14:59
Feb 1, 2015 @ VAN W 4-2 1 0 1 -1 2 2 1 16:23
Jan 29, 2015 @ CGY W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 15:59
Jan 27, 2015 @ EDM W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 14:45
Jan 20, 2015 @ DET L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 2 15:52
Jan 19, 2015 vs CBJ L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 14:09
Jan 17, 2015 vs ARI W 3-1 1 0 1 2 0 2 1 14:16
Jan 15, 2015 @ BUF W 7-0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 13:00
Jan 13, 2015 @ PIT L 2-7 0 0 0 -2 0 1 3 14:40
Jan 11, 2015 @ CHI L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 3 1 16:29
Jan 10, 2015 vs NSH L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 17:52
Jan 8, 2015 vs CHI L 2-4 1 0 1 -2 0 5 3 21:42
Jan 6, 2015 vs SJS L 3-4 (OT) 2 1 3 3 0 8 2 18:58
Jan 3, 2015 @ DAL L 1-7 0 0 0 -4 0 3 5 14:02
Dec 23, 2014 vs PHI L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 16:26
Dec 20, 2014 vs NSH L 5-6 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 0 3 1 16:44
Dec 17, 2014 vs BOS L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 17:24
Dec 16, 2014 @ CHI L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 4 16:17
Dec 13, 2014 @ ARI W 4-3 (SO) 1 0 1 1 0 3 3 17:45
Dec 11, 2014 @ SJS L 1-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 15:56
Dec 9, 2014 vs NYI W 5-4 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 15:33
Dec 5, 2014 vs ANA L 4-5 0 0 0 -1 2 6 1 15:22
Dec 3, 2014 vs MTL W 2-1 1 0 1 1 0 5 2 14:15
Nov 29, 2014 vs STL L 2-3 (SO) 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 13:29
Nov 28, 2014 @ DAL W 5-4 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 0 2 0 15:59
Nov 26, 2014 vs LAK L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 2 2 0 15:47
Nov 24, 2014 @ FLA W 4-1 2 0 2 2 0 9 1 16:03
Nov 22, 2014 @ TBL L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 17:03
Nov 20, 2014 @ PHI W 3-2 1 0 1 0 0 1 2 15:24
Nov 16, 2014 vs WPG W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 13:58
Nov 15, 2014 @ DAL W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 19:31
Nov 13, 2014 vs BUF W 6-3 0 0 0 -1 0 4 1 16:59
Nov 11, 2014 @ NJD L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 17:32
Nov 8, 2014 @ MTL L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 3 16:22
Nov 6, 2014 @ OTT L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 16:44
Nov 4, 2014 vs PIT L 1-4 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 15:09
Nov 1, 2014 vs DAL W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 18:55
Oct 30, 2014 vs SJS W 4-3 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 18:03
Oct 28, 2014 @ BOS W 4-3 0 1 1 1 2 2 3 15:38
Oct 27, 2014 @ NYR L 4-5 1 0 1 -1 0 1 0 13:07
Oct 25, 2014 vs TBL W 7-2 2 0 2 2 0 2 1 10:00
Oct 23, 2014 vs ARI W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 09:48
Oct 19, 2014 @ LAK L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 2 2 2 09:05
Oct 17, 2014 @ ANA L 1-2 1 0 1 0 0 1 2 07:49
Oct 11, 2014 @ COL W 3-0 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 09:41
Oct 9, 2014 vs COL W 5-0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 12:25