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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 2018-19. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Adam Henrique ANA · 42 P in 82 GP Alexander Kerfoot COL · 42 P in 78 GP Bobby Ryan OTT · 42 P in 78 GP Jake DeBrusk BOS · 42 P in 68 GP Paul Stastny VGK · 42 P in 50 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

2018-19 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
81 21 21 42 -9 28 214 87 0.52 9.8 17:05

Contract

$5.5MCap hitends in 2023, then UFA
$131KCap dollars per point42 points in 81 games
$482KCap dollars per goal above replacement11.4 goals above replacement
$8.5MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$3MValueworth 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 696 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Minnesota Wild on Jul 25, 2018, as a new contract: 5 years and $27.5M, beginning in 2018-19. It runs through 2022-23, with 4 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2018-19 $5.5M $5M $0 $5M
2019-20 $5.5M $6.25M $0 $6.25M M-NTC
2020-21 $5.5M $4.8M $0 $4.8M M-NTC
2021-22 $5.5M $6.25M $0 $6.25M M-NTC
2022-23 $5.5M $5.2M $0 $5.2M M-NTC

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 2018-19 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.

2018-19 analytics

Rating

+11.4Goals above replacement41st of 699 skaters, 37th of 455 forwards
+1.9Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+7.6Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 455 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.

Even-strength offence+3.2 83rd percentileEven-strength defence+0.2 50th percentilePower play+0.4 81st percentilePenalty kill+0.1 78th percentilePenalties+3.6 98th 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. 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

53.0Corsi for %1194 attempts for, 1058 against
+3.0CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.3Expected goals for %54.3 expected for, 42.1 against
+3.7xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
53.3Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
50.0Goals for %39 for, 39 against
99.0PDO6.0% shooting + 93.0% saves
321Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 591 skaters who played enough to be ranked: 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. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Eric Staal · Jason Zucker · Mikael Granlund39341:0854.761.615-11
Eric Staal · Jason Zucker · Jordan Greenway20159:0755.658.35-3
Mikko Koivu · Jason Zucker · Mikael Granlund17124:3950.055.80-3
Eric Staal · Zach Parise · Jason Zucker1051:1849.561.21-2

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.

20Goalsnot counting empty-netters
23.8Expected goalsfrom 313 unblocked attempts
-3.8Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 1.03 expected goals per 60 minutes87th
Shot quality 7.6% chance per attempt41st
Finishing -3.8 goals above expected18thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 426 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

05101520Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Expected 23.8Goals 20

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. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 6, 2019 @ DAL L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 14:31
Apr 4, 2019 vs BOS L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 15:35
Apr 2, 2019 vs WPG W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 14:16
Mar 31, 2019 @ ARI L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 2 18:10
Mar 29, 2019 @ VGK W 3-2 0 2 2 -1 0 5 0 15:41
Mar 25, 2019 vs NSH L 0-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 19:50
Mar 23, 2019 @ CAR L 1-5 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 16:58
Mar 22, 2019 @ WSH W 2-1 0 0 0 -1 2 2 0 13:44
Mar 19, 2019 vs COL L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 19:36
Mar 17, 2019 vs NYI L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 17:28
Mar 16, 2019 vs NYR W 5-2 0 1 1 0 0 4 2 14:21
Mar 14, 2019 vs DAL L 1-4 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 18:34
Mar 11, 2019 vs SJS L 0-3 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 17:49
Mar 8, 2019 @ FLA L 2-6 0 0 0 -2 0 1 0 15:58
Mar 7, 2019 @ TBL W 3-0 3 0 3 3 0 3 0 15:16
Mar 5, 2019 @ NSH L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 17:42
Mar 3, 2019 vs NSH L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 0 0 2 3 16:20
Mar 2, 2019 @ CGY W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 5 0 19:24
Feb 26, 2019 @ WPG W 3-2 1 0 1 0 0 4 1 16:08
Feb 24, 2019 vs STL W 2-1 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 4 2 18:07
Feb 22, 2019 @ DET W 3-2 0 1 1 1 2 4 2 16:10
Feb 21, 2019 @ NYR W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 16:30
Feb 19, 2019 vs ANA L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 18:34
Feb 17, 2019 vs STL L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 14:44
Feb 15, 2019 vs NJD L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:09
Feb 12, 2019 vs PHI L 4-5 0 0 0 -1 0 5 0 19:29
Feb 10, 2019 @ NYI L 1-2 0 1 1 0 0 3 1 17:48
Feb 9, 2019 @ NJD W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 17:37
Feb 7, 2019 vs EDM L 1-4 0 1 1 0 2 1 4 14:45
Feb 5, 2019 @ BUF L 4-5 (SO) 0 1 1 1 0 3 2 20:39
Feb 2, 2019 vs CHI L 3-4 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 17:50
Feb 1, 2019 @ DAL L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 19:05
Jan 23, 2019 @ COL W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 4 17:24
Jan 21, 2019 @ VGK W 4-2 0 0 0 0 2 1 7 14:30
Jan 19, 2019 vs CBJ W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 20:31
Jan 17, 2019 vs ANA L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 17:11
Jan 15, 2019 vs LAK W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 19:24
Jan 14, 2019 @ PHI L 4-7 1 0 1 -1 0 2 1 16:12
Jan 12, 2019 vs DET L 2-5 0 1 1 -1 0 2 1 13:10
Jan 10, 2019 vs WPG W 3-2 2 0 2 0 2 2 2 18:28
Jan 8, 2019 @ BOS L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 16:04
Jan 7, 2019 @ MTL W 1-0 0 0 0 0 2 3 3 17:47
Jan 5, 2019 @ OTT W 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 6 2 18:27
Jan 3, 2019 @ TOR W 4-3 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 14:03
Dec 31, 2018 vs PIT L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 15:12
Dec 29, 2018 @ WPG W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 15:40
Dec 27, 2018 @ CHI L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 17:15
Dec 22, 2018 vs DAL L 1-2 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 4 1 20:52
Dec 20, 2018 @ PIT L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 2 4 0 16:18
Dec 18, 2018 vs SJS L 0-4 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 17:25
Dec 13, 2018 vs FLA W 5-1 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 15:42
Dec 11, 2018 vs MTL W 7-1 0 1 1 1 0 3 0 14:08
Dec 7, 2018 @ EDM L 2-7 0 0 0 -3 0 2 2 16:12
Dec 6, 2018 @ CGY L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 20:10
Dec 4, 2018 @ VAN W 3-2 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 16:01
Dec 1, 2018 vs TOR L 3-5 1 0 1 1 0 6 1 18:45
Nov 29, 2018 @ CBJ L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 18:03
Nov 27, 2018 vs ARI L 3-4 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 17:19
Nov 23, 2018 vs WPG W 4-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 16:53
Nov 21, 2018 vs OTT W 6-4 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 16:22
Nov 18, 2018 @ CHI L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 15:51
Nov 17, 2018 vs BUF L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 19:24
Nov 15, 2018 vs VAN W 6-2 1 0 1 1 2 2 0 15:59
Nov 13, 2018 vs WSH L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 17:41
Nov 11, 2018 @ STL W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 2 4 16:26
Nov 9, 2018 @ ANA W 5-1 1 2 3 3 0 5 1 15:56
Nov 8, 2018 @ LAK W 3-1 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 14:41
Nov 6, 2018 @ SJS L 3-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 14:09
Nov 3, 2018 @ STL W 5-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:19
Oct 30, 2018 @ EDM W 4-3 0 0 0 1 0 6 1 16:35
Oct 29, 2018 @ VAN L 2-5 0 1 1 -1 0 3 0 18:06
Oct 27, 2018 vs COL W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 2 2 16:41
Oct 25, 2018 vs LAK W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 3 2 17:58
Oct 20, 2018 vs TBL W 5-4 (OT) 1 0 1 1 2 3 0 16:48
Oct 19, 2018 @ DAL W 3-1 0 1 1 0 0 5 3 16:02
Oct 16, 2018 vs ARI W 2-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 19:10
Oct 15, 2018 @ NSH L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 3 2 17:11
Oct 13, 2018 vs CAR L 4-5 (OT) 1 0 1 0 4 3 2 16:29
Oct 11, 2018 vs CHI W 4-3 (OT) 2 1 3 4 0 10 0 19:34
Oct 6, 2018 vs VGK L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 18:33
Oct 4, 2018 @ COL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 19:38