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
Compare with a similar player
The forwards closest to him in points in 2012-13. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.
David Ullstrom
NYI ·
5 P in 20 GP
Peter Holland
ANA ·
5 P in 21 GP
Antti Miettinen
WPG ·
5 P in 22 GP
Chris Mueller
NSH ·
5 P in 18 GP
Tye McGinn
PHI ·
5 P in 18 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.
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 |
2012-13 season totals
| GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | Shots | Hits | P/GP | Shooting % | Avg TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 34 | 11 | 0.25 | 11.8 | 11:16 |
Contract
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 558 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.
The contract
Signed by the Minnesota Wild on Mar 27, 2012, as an entry-level contract: 3 years and $2.5M, beginning in 2011-12. It runs through 2013-14, with 1 season left after this one, and he is then a restricted free agent.
| Season | Cap hit | Base salary | Signing bonus | Performance bonuses | Paid in all | Clause |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | $772K | $700K | $0 | $700K | ||
| 2012-13 | $772K | $715K | $0 | $185K | $715K | |
| 2013-14 | $772K | $900K | $0 | $900K |
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 2012-13 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.
2012-13 analytics
Rating
Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 397 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.
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, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Provisional: under 40 games it is more chance than player. 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.
On the ice
What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean
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 line | GP | Time | CF% | xGF% | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matt Cullen · Devin Setoguchi · Jason Zucker | 16 | 131:45 | 48.3 | 61.5 | 8-5 |
| Zenon Konopka · Torrey Mitchell · Jason Zucker | 5 | 21:53 | 26.3 | 22.4 | 0-0 |
| Devin Setoguchi · Jason Zucker · Mikael Granlund | 2 | 9:13 | 59.1 | 85.5 | 0-1 |
| Matt Cullen · Torrey Mitchell · Jason Zucker | 4 | 3:29 | 42.9 | 51.8 | 0-0 |
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.
Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 355 who played 300 minutes or more this season.
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 this season, 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 27, 2013 | @ COL | W 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16:31 |
| Apr 21, 2013 | vs CGY | L 1-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10:24 |
| Apr 18, 2013 | @ SJS | L 1-6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 14:08 |
| Apr 16, 2013 | @ EDM | W 5-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 13:01 |
| Apr 15, 2013 | @ CGY | W 4-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12:14 |
| Apr 13, 2013 | vs CBJ | L 2-3 (SO) | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 18:07 |
| Mar 23, 2013 | vs SJS | W 2-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 08:01 |
| Mar 20, 2013 | @ DET | W 4-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 09:33 |
| Mar 18, 2013 | @ VAN | W 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 09:37 |
| Mar 12, 2013 | vs ANA | L 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 04:12 |
| Mar 10, 2013 | vs VAN | W 4-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 11:11 |
| Mar 9, 2013 | @ NSH | W 2-1 (SO) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 10:44 |
| Mar 5, 2013 | @ CHI | L 3-5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13:59 |
| Mar 3, 2013 | vs EDM | W 4-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 11:56 |
| Mar 1, 2013 | @ ANA | L 2-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13:02 |
| Feb 28, 2013 | @ PHX | W 4-3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 07:05 |
| Feb 26, 2013 | vs CGY | W 2-1 (OT) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 07:04 |
| Feb 23, 2013 | @ CGY | L 1-3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 12:26 |
| Feb 21, 2013 | @ EDM | W 3-1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 10:54 |
| Feb 17, 2013 | vs DET | W 3-2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 11:09 |