The Los Angeles Kings have added a familiar kind of scorer: a winger who doesn’t need the spotlight to tilt a game. Mats Zuccarello is headed to Los Angeles on a one-year contract worth $1 million, plus bonuses, according to Emily Kaplan of ESPN and Pierre LeBrun of TSN.
Zuccarello has spent his career proving that being overlooked can still turn into a long run of value. The Rangers signed him in 2010, and by 2013 he had grown into a reliable top-six forward.
He spent eight and a half seasons in New York before the 2019 Trade Deadline sent him to Dallas. That stop lasted only two games, and he moved on to Minnesota on a five-year deal in 2019, then played seven seasons with the Wild.
At 38, with his 39th birthday coming at the start of September, he’s still producing. He has never piled up the kind of hardware that usually follows a career like his, but he did draw votes for the Lady Byng Trophy in 2015-16 and 2016-17, as well as the Selke Trophy in 2015-16. Even without that major recognition, he has kept his game relevant.
What Zuccarello still does best is make plays. Since his breakout 2013-14 season with the Rangers, he has remained a sharp distributor, and the numbers tell the story: 512 assists in 963 career games, more than twice his 234 goals. That kind of vision has made him useful anywhere in the top six for years.
He’s also been steady for a long stretch. Over each of the last five seasons, he has recorded at least 35 assists and 50 points.
Last season in Minnesota, he skated on a second line with Ryan Hartman and Vladimir Tarasenko, and that group was among the NHL’s best. He also gave the Wild real value on the power play, which ranked third in the league at 25.2 percent.
His 3:36 per game on the man advantage was fourth on the team, behind Kaprizov, Boldy, and Quinn Hughes.
The one drawback has been availability. Zuccarello tends to miss around 10-15 games a season and has not reached 80 games since 2017-18. Still, his playoff résumé is substantial, with 21 goals and 46 assists in 110 games, and he brings the kind of presence teammates tend to appreciate - especially with his goofy personality.
For the Kings, it’s a move aimed at adding scoring depth. They’ve wanted more offense for years, and Zuccarello gives them a proven playmaker who can fit on a top line but is probably at his best as a second-line spark.
Los Angeles already made a win-now statement when it acquired Artemi Panarin from the Rangers before the Olympic break, and with Anze Kopitar retiring and roughly $10.9 million in contracts, the Kings needed to be selective. Zuccarello should have a clear role once he’s in the mix, potentially lining up with Alex Lafarriere and Kevin Fiala when Fiala returns from injury.
In Other News...
Wild Fans Will Hate What Reportedly Killed This Center Pursuit
Minnesotas interest in Dylan Larkin apparently went beyond casual trade chatter, with president Bill Guerin making regular contact with Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman as the Wild explored whether there was any real path to landing the Red Wings captain. The pursuit had the feel of a classic front-office swing for a proven center, the kind of move that can reshape a teams middle-six and change the look of a roster heading into free agency.
What ultimately stalled things was the price Detroit was pushing, and Minnesota was not willing to go there. With the opening of free agency, the Wild have moved on from the idea of prying Larkin loose, leaving Guerin to pivot elsewhere while the fan base is left to wonder how close the team really came to making a major splash at center. [Read more 🡒]
Wild Quietly Make A Veteran Depth Decision Before Free Agency
The Wild are lining up a pair of familiar veteran pieces before free agency opens, a move that would keep some stability on a roster that values experience as much as upside. Nick Foligno, who arrived at the trade deadline, and Zach Bogosian, brought in later as a depth addition on the blue line, both gave Minnesota the kind of low-drama, situational help that can matter over the long haul more than it shows up in the box score.
Michael Russo of The Athletic reports the expectation is that each player returns on a one-year deal, giving the Wild another season of seasoned presence without a bigger summer commitment. For Foligno, it also sets up a chance to spend a full year in Minnesota alongside his younger brother Marcus, while Bogosian would remain part of the right-side defensive mix and available when injuries or lineup shuffles inevitably hit. [Read more 🡒]
Stars Could Be Setting Up The Move Wild Fans Dread
The Wilds search for a top-line center has already turned into one of those watch-and-wait situations that can define a summer, with Dylan Larkin still the name most closely tied to Minnesota. Detroit has not budged, and Steve Yzermans stance has kept the door firmly shut unless the offer is strong enough to change his mind, which leaves the Wild stuck trying to gauge whether their best-fit target is even realistically available.
What makes the situation more unnerving for Minnesota is the way other contenders can reshape the market before the Wild get their chance to strike. The Stars have been watching the defense market closely and have their own ambitions, which could affect how aggressive teams get as the board starts to move. For a Wild club looking to add a difference-maker down the middle, the longer this drags on, the more it feels like the rest of the league is setting the terms. [Read more 🡒]