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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 2019-20. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Kevin Hayes PHI · 41 P in 69 GP Ondrej Palat TBL · 41 P in 69 GP Nick Suzuki MTL · 41 P in 71 GP Mikko Rantanen COL · 41 P in 42 GP Jordan Eberle NYI · 40 P in 58 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

2019-20 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
60 20 21 41 -4 21 111 53 0.68 18.0 16:20

Contract

$5.5MCap hitends in 2023, then UFA
$134KCap dollars per point41 points in 60 games
$1.065MCap dollars per goal above replacement5.2 goals above replacement
$5MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
-$520KValueworth 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 668 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 3 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 2019-20 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.

2019-20 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+5.2Goals above replacement170th of 670 skaters, 125th of 439 forwards
+0.9Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+2.5Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 439 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+1.7 72nd percentileEven-strength defence-0.6 29th percentilePower play+0.2 70th percentilePenalty kill-0.1 33rd percentilePenalties+1.3 86th 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

49.5Corsi for %724 attempts for, 738 against
-0.5CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
49.7Expected goals for %30.3 expected for, 30.7 against
-1.2xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
48.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
49.4Goals for %40 for, 41 against
100.3PDO10.4% shooting + 89.9% saves
136Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 583 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 lineTeamGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Eric Staal · Mats Zuccarello · Jason ZuckerMIN29264:0544.948.218-17
Sidney Crosby · Jason Zucker · Conor ShearyPIT888:5255.046.65-5
Sidney Crosby · Jason Zucker · Dominik SimonPIT779:2849.445.64-3
Mikko Koivu · Zach Parise · Jason ZuckerMIN959:0750.063.71-4

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.

19Goalsnot counting empty-netters
11.9Expected goalsfrom 151 unblocked attempts
+7.1Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.73 expected goals per 60 minutes43rd
Shot quality 7.8% chance per attempt47th
Finishing +7.1 goals above expected95thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 410 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

051015Game 20Game 40Game 60Goals 19Expected 11.9

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
Mar 10, 2020 @ NJD W 5-2 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 17:23
Mar 8, 2020 vs CAR L 2-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 17:51
Mar 7, 2020 vs WSH L 2-5 0 1 1 0 0 4 2 17:00
Mar 5, 2020 @ BUF W 4-2 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 20:41
Mar 3, 2020 vs OTT W 7-3 1 2 3 2 0 3 0 17:53
Feb 29, 2020 @ SJS L 0-5 0 0 0 -2 0 1 3 16:25
Feb 28, 2020 @ ANA L 2-3 2 0 2 0 2 3 2 15:27
Feb 26, 2020 @ LAK L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 18:44
Feb 23, 2020 @ WSH L 3-5 0 1 1 -2 0 3 3 16:12
Feb 22, 2020 vs BUF L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 3 2 19:58
Feb 20, 2020 @ TOR L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17:58
Feb 18, 2020 vs TOR W 5-2 1 0 1 0 0 6 1 17:43
Feb 16, 2020 vs DET W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 19:20
Feb 14, 2020 vs MTL W 4-1 2 0 2 2 0 2 0 16:57
Feb 11, 2020 vs TBL L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 15:26
Feb 9, 2020 vs COL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 15:10
Feb 7, 2020 @ DAL W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 15:09
Feb 6, 2020 vs VAN W 4-2 0 0 0 1 5 0 2 10:08
Feb 4, 2020 vs CHI W 3-2 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 14:20
Feb 1, 2020 vs BOS L 1-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 15:10
Jan 22, 2020 vs DET W 4-2 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 13:19
Jan 20, 2020 vs FLA L 4-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 15:32
Jan 18, 2020 vs DAL W 7-0 1 2 3 2 0 2 0 13:38
Jan 16, 2020 vs TBL W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 14:39
Jan 14, 2020 @ PIT L 3-7 0 0 0 -1 0 0 2 16:25
Jan 12, 2020 vs VAN L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 4 1 1 16:12
Dec 15, 2019 @ CHI L 3-5 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 16:33
Dec 14, 2019 vs PHI W 4-1 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 16:44
Dec 12, 2019 vs EDM W 6-5 1 1 2 2 0 1 0 17:47
Dec 10, 2019 vs ANA L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 18:53
Dec 7, 2019 @ CAR L 2-6 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 16:24
Dec 5, 2019 @ TBL W 5-4 1 1 2 1 0 2 1 17:03
Dec 3, 2019 @ FLA W 4-2 1 1 2 2 0 2 2 15:55
Dec 1, 2019 vs DAL W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 1 19:06
Nov 29, 2019 vs OTT W 7-2 1 0 1 2 0 1 0 16:08
Nov 26, 2019 @ NJD W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:44
Nov 25, 2019 @ NYR L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 6 1 16:16
Nov 23, 2019 @ BOS L 4-5 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 17:05
Nov 21, 2019 vs COL W 3-2 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 15:04
Nov 19, 2019 @ BUF W 4-1 1 1 2 2 0 2 0 17:17
Nov 16, 2019 vs CAR L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 16:08
Nov 14, 2019 vs ARI W 3-2 0 1 1 -1 2 0 2 15:48
Nov 12, 2019 @ LAK L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 16:12
Nov 9, 2019 @ ARI W 4-3 0 1 1 0 0 4 0 17:59
Nov 7, 2019 @ SJS L 5-6 1 0 1 -2 0 1 0 10:09
Nov 5, 2019 @ ANA W 4-2 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 16:52
Nov 2, 2019 vs STL L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 3 14:45
Oct 30, 2019 @ STL L 1-2 0 1 1 0 2 0 1 13:30
Oct 29, 2019 @ DAL L 3-6 1 1 2 -2 0 2 2 17:37
Oct 26, 2019 vs LAK W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 15:14
Oct 24, 2019 @ NSH L 0-4 0 0 0 -4 0 3 0 16:29
Oct 22, 2019 vs EDM W 3-0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 19:56
Oct 20, 2019 vs MTL W 4-3 1 1 2 0 0 2 0 17:08
Oct 17, 2019 @ MTL L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 2 1 2 17:32
Oct 15, 2019 @ TOR L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 16:54
Oct 14, 2019 @ OTT W 2-0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 15:57
Oct 12, 2019 vs PIT L 4-7 1 0 1 0 0 3 1 17:48
Oct 10, 2019 @ WPG L 2-5 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 15:11
Oct 5, 2019 @ COL L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 13:23
Oct 3, 2019 @ NSH L 2-5 1 0 1 -1 0 5 1 16:03