ST. PAUL — At age 36, Mats Zuccarello is having another strong season and yet again has been one of the Minnesota Wild’s most important forwards.
Zuccarello has seven goals and 32 points in 34 games so far this season — a 15-goal, 69-point pace. That's despite him missing nine games from Dec. 16 to Jan. 4 with an upper-body injury.
If he reaches that point total projection, it will mark his third straight 67-point plus season (79 points in 2021-22 and 67 points in 2022-23) — all in his age-34, 35 and 36 seasons. Simply put, Zuccarello has continued to fly under the radar.
On Monday, the veteran playmaking winger hit another major career milestone in the Wild’s 5-0 shutout win over the New York Islanders inside Xcel Energy Center: 800 career games.
Zuccarello played 509 of the 800 games with the New York Rangers across nine seasons and played two games with the Dallas Stars before joining the Wild, where he’s played 289 games.
He also recorded his 600th career point on Dec. 10 in Seattle.
Zuccarello's presence could be felt right away on Monday. He beat IIya Sorokin glove side from the top of the left circle on the power play to give the Wild a 1-0 lead just 2:11 into the contest.
Coach John Hynes, who has been behind the bench for 24 games with the Wild since he replaced Dean Evason on Nov. 27, said he is impressed with what Zuccarello brings on and off the ice.
“I’m amazed by his hockey sense, his skill level, his poise on the ice,” Hynes said. “It’s impressive to see him be able to play the way that he plays. You notice it coaching against him, but when you see it live and you’re counting on him to make plays, it’s really impressive, 800 games in the league, to be able to do that, he’s obviously a heckuva player, loves the game, and he’s great in the locker room.
“He’s great to talk, he’s great to bounce ideas off of as a coach to get his opinion on certain things and he’s another guy, older guy, who has played a ton of games and had a lot of success but loves the game, loves being around the locker room — and he’s a great performer.”
Zuccarello, who is in the final season of a five-year contract, agreed in September to a two-year extension worth $4.125 million — which keeps him in Minnesota through the 2025-26 season.