4 Free-Agent Destinations for Mats Zuccarello
The Minnesota Wild's Mats Zuccarello will be heading into free agency on July 1st.
The Wild spent a good chunk of their salary cap space on forward Kirill Kaprizov ($17 million AAV), and spent $20 million in contract value on depth center Michael McCarron; there's considerably less to go around.
While it's true they have $6.6 million in cap space, general manager Bill Guerin is going to have to optimize it ahead of free agency, and that means letting players walk.
A victim of circumstance in this scenario is 38-year-old Zuccarello, who's a pending unrestricted free agent. The top-six forward has missed a significant amount of time due to injury this season.
The 38-year-old played only 59 games this season, scored 54 points (15 goals, 39 assists), and 50 penalty minutes. His two-year, $4.125 million AAV contract expires tomorrow.
Zuccarello has played 963 games in the NHL for the New York Rangers, Dallas Stars, and Minnesota Wild, scoring 744 points (232 goals, 512 assists).
The Athletic's Michael Russo made an astute observation of why the Wild haven't prioritized signing Zuccarello just yet.
Kaprizov said after the season he hoped Zuccarello would return. But with only $12 million of cap space left and only nine forwards, five defensemen and two goalies signed, the Wild feel they can’t currently commit to Zuccarello until seeing if they can acquire somebody like Dylan Larkin ($8.7 million in cap space).
With a push for Dylan Larkin on the horizon, and no guarantee the team will circle back around to sign Kirill Kaprizov's former linemate, who are some teams who could be interested in the veteran forward?
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks have plenty of cap space to work with ($44.623 million), and as a team just opening its window of contention, could find a spot in the lineup for Zuccarello. He could fit into the top-nine, and find a home on the Ducks power-play as another 50+ point option. Ideally, he could slot in alongside Mikael Granlund and Beckett Sennecke.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings made a trip to the Stanley Cup playoffs, but were an easy out. General manager (GM) Ken Holland will have to find meaningful additions at a bargain price during the offseason, and adding Zuccarello as a potential 50+ point option could secure another trip to the playoffs. The Kings have plenty of money to work with ($10.9 million) to sign Zuccarello. The veteran forward could add extra firepower in a lineup that is deep with skillful forwards, including Kevin Fiala and Artemi Panarin on the left side.
Detroit Red Wings
Keep in mind, this is speculation. Steve Yzerman likes to operate conservatively, and with the potential of losing their captain, he'll have to find scoring elsewhere. Zuccarello could be an affordable option on a team that quit their head coach near the end of the season. The Red Wings have $29.047 million in cap space, and depending on how the situation with Dylan Larkin plays out, a 70-point gap to fill in his absence.
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are another team that has enough cap space to be a wild card in this scenario ($15.9 million). New York is where he began his career in the NHL, and it could stand to reason that GM Chris Drury finds a veteran who could be a secondary-scoring option in the lineup. As a playmaker, he could make his younger teammates better. Zuccarello could be a feature in the top nine and find a home next to Vincent Trocheck or Noah Laba.
