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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 2022-23. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Yanni Gourde SEA · 48 P in 81 GP Tomas Tatar NJD · 48 P in 82 GP Owen Tippett PHI · 49 P in 77 GP Michael Bunting TOR · 49 P in 82 GP Alexander Barabanov SJS · 47 P in 68 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

2022-23 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
78 27 21 48 -4 47 197 198 0.62 13.7 15:39

Contract

$5.5MCap hitends in 2023, then UFA
$115KCap dollars per point48 points in 78 games
$596KCap dollars per goal above replacement9.2 goals above replacement
$7.4MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$1.9MValueworth 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 695 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, so this is its last season, after which he is 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 2022-23 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.

2022-23 analytics

Rating

+9.2Goals above replacement89th of 696 skaters, 65th of 461 forwards
+1.5Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+5.9Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 461 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+6.9 93rd percentileEven-strength defence-1.4 22nd percentilePower play-1.1 6th percentilePenalty kill+0.0 45th percentilePenalties+1.4 84th 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

55.4Corsi for %1199 attempts for, 965 against
+4.5CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.0Expected goals for %61.3 expected for, 48.2 against
+4.6xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.6Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
49.1Goals for %54 for, 56 against
97.9PDO8.0% shooting + 89.9% saves
296Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 613 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
Evgeni Malkin · Jason Zucker · Bryan Rust47404:1457.560.521-18
Evgeni Malkin · Jason Zucker · Rickard Rakell67372:0052.851.619-23
Evgeni Malkin · Jason Zucker · Alex Nylander551:4558.964.53-2
Evgeni Malkin · Jason Zucker · Danton Heinen1616:3544.438.51-2

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.

27Goalsnot counting empty-netters
25.7Expected goalsfrom 283 unblocked attempts
+1.3Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 1.26 expected goals per 60 minutes94th
Shot quality 9.1% chance per attempt77th
Finishing +1.3 goals above expected70thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 446 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

01020Game 20Game 40Game 60Goals 27Expected 25.7

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 13, 2023 @ CBJ L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 15:14
Apr 11, 2023 vs CHI L 2-5 0 0 0 -3 0 2 0 15:49
Apr 8, 2023 @ DET W 5-1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 13:07
Apr 6, 2023 vs MIN W 4-1 1 0 1 1 2 2 2 15:47
Apr 4, 2023 @ NJD L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 2 0 3 14:46
Apr 2, 2023 vs PHI W 4-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 15:24
Apr 1, 2023 vs BOS L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16:05
Mar 30, 2023 vs NSH W 2-0 1 0 1 1 0 2 2 16:18
Mar 28, 2023 @ DET L 4-7 1 0 1 -2 0 3 1 16:05
Mar 25, 2023 vs WSH W 4-3 0 1 1 1 0 6 1 15:17
Mar 23, 2023 @ DAL L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 2 3 2 15:53
Mar 22, 2023 @ COL W 5-2 0 1 1 0 0 5 3 14:00
Mar 20, 2023 vs OTT L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 17:22
Mar 18, 2023 @ NYR L 0-6 0 0 0 -2 0 3 3 16:21
Mar 16, 2023 @ NYR L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 18:45
Mar 14, 2023 vs MTL L 4-6 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 15:18
Mar 12, 2023 vs NYR W 3-2 (OT) 1 0 1 -1 0 8 2 16:49
Mar 11, 2023 vs PHI W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 4 3 16:14
Mar 9, 2023 vs NYI L 3-4 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 2 5 15:37
Mar 7, 2023 vs CBJ W 5-4 (OT) 2 0 2 0 0 4 2 18:32
Mar 4, 2023 @ FLA L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 2 2 0 14:11
Mar 2, 2023 @ TBL W 5-4 (OT) 2 0 2 2 0 3 0 16:05
Feb 28, 2023 @ NSH W 3-1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 14:55
Feb 26, 2023 vs TBL W 7-3 1 0 1 1 0 6 3 15:37
Feb 25, 2023 @ STL W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 4 3 2 14:15
Feb 23, 2023 vs EDM L 2-7 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 16:03
Feb 20, 2023 vs NYI L 2-4 1 0 1 0 14 2 3 13:31
Feb 18, 2023 vs NJD L 2-5 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 13:39
Feb 17, 2023 @ NYI L 4-5 1 0 1 1 0 4 5 17:42
Feb 14, 2023 @ SJS W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:30
Feb 11, 2023 @ LAK L 0-6 0 0 0 -1 0 2 4 18:14
Feb 10, 2023 @ ANA W 6-3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 15:12
Feb 7, 2023 vs COL W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 5 2 16:54
Jan 28, 2023 vs SJS L 4-6 0 0 0 -2 0 4 2 14:14
Jan 26, 2023 @ WSH L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 16:58
Jan 24, 2023 vs FLA W 7-6 (OT) 0 0 0 -2 2 4 0 16:54
Jan 22, 2023 @ NJD L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 19:08
Jan 20, 2023 vs OTT W 4-1 1 0 1 0 0 3 3 18:59
Jan 18, 2023 @ OTT L 4-5 (OT) 1 0 1 1 2 1 6 14:58
Jan 16, 2023 vs ANA W 4-3 (OT) 1 1 2 1 0 4 4 14:55
Jan 14, 2023 @ CAR L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 15:08
Jan 13, 2023 vs WPG L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 5 1 8 13:45
Jan 10, 2023 vs VAN W 5-4 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 14:56
Jan 8, 2023 @ ARI W 4-1 1 0 1 1 0 1 5 17:33
Jan 5, 2023 @ VGK L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 3 18:05
Jan 2, 2023 @ BOS L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 14:31
Dec 30, 2022 vs NJD L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 12:45
Dec 28, 2022 vs DET L 4-5 (OT) 2 0 2 1 0 7 3 16:53
Dec 27, 2022 @ NYI L 1-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 13:56
Dec 22, 2022 vs CAR L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 2 7 14:19
Dec 20, 2022 vs NYR W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 0 4 17:13
Dec 12, 2022 vs DAL W 2-1 0 2 2 1 0 1 2 17:11
Dec 10, 2022 vs BUF W 3-1 0 0 0 -1 0 4 4 11:59
Dec 9, 2022 @ BUF W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 14:42
Dec 6, 2022 vs CBJ W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 13:15
Dec 3, 2022 vs STL W 6-2 1 2 3 2 0 1 0 16:52
Dec 1, 2022 vs VGK W 4-3 0 0 0 0 2 4 5 16:54
Nov 29, 2022 vs CAR L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 14:49
Nov 26, 2022 vs TOR L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 2 7 17:16
Nov 25, 2022 @ PHI W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15:16
Nov 23, 2022 vs CGY W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 16:28
Nov 20, 2022 @ CHI W 5-3 0 0 0 -1 2 1 0 14:03
Nov 19, 2022 @ WPG W 3-0 1 0 1 1 0 4 2 16:08
Nov 17, 2022 @ MIN W 6-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 17:30
Nov 15, 2022 vs TOR L 2-5 0 1 1 1 0 3 5 15:10
Nov 12, 2022 @ MTL L 4-5 (OT) 0 3 3 2 0 3 1 13:23
Nov 11, 2022 @ TOR W 4-2 1 0 1 2 0 4 5 14:22
Nov 9, 2022 @ WSH W 4-1 1 0 1 1 0 5 3 15:00
Nov 5, 2022 vs SEA L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 17:03
Nov 2, 2022 @ BUF L 3-6 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 15:39
Nov 1, 2022 vs BOS L 5-6 (OT) 0 1 1 0 0 3 5 13:28
Oct 29, 2022 @ SEA L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 2 15:51
Oct 24, 2022 @ EDM L 3-6 0 2 2 -1 0 2 4 14:12
Oct 22, 2022 @ CBJ W 6-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 4 19:47
Oct 20, 2022 vs LAK W 6-1 0 1 1 1 4 1 2 13:49
Oct 17, 2022 @ MTL L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 2 0 3 2 16:13
Oct 15, 2022 vs TBL W 6-2 0 1 1 0 0 2 4 15:42
Oct 13, 2022 vs ARI W 6-2 1 1 2 2 0 4 2 14:27