The ex-Wild forward has signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres.
It was a busy day for the Wild in free agency on Monday. They signed nine players and extended one of them. They also saw a bunch of former Wild players sign contracts elsewhere.
The Buffalo Sabres were expected to sign a couple of big free agents or at least trade for some players after they bought out the remaining contract of Jeff Skinner. They instead replaced Skinner with the former Wild forward, Jason Zucker.
Zucker, 32, had 14 goals and 32 points last year for the Arizona Coyotes and the Nashville Predators.
He has scored 20 or more goals in a season six times, including a career-high 33 goals in 2017-18, which was with the Wild. Five of his six, 20, or more goal seasons came with the Wild.
In his Wild career, Zucker recorded 132 goals, 111 assists, and 243 points in 456 games across nine seasons in Minnesota. He was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins at the 2020 deadline for Calen Addison, a first-round pick (Carson Lambos), and Alex Galchenyuk.
Zucker has recorded 196 goals, 174 assists, and 370 points in 697 career games across 13 NHL seasons in his career and will now go to Buffalo on a one-year deal worth $5 million to replace Skinner's contributions.
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