The Pittsburgh Penguins will probably want to keep Jason Zucker in town, but does he fit their plans?

Throughout the 2022-23 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins got exactly what they wanted out of Jason Zucker.

In 78 games played, Zucker was fifth in Penguins’ goals and points with 27 and 48 respectively, a huge jump from where he was in the two seasons prior.

Injuries got in the way of a lot for Zucker through 2020-21 and 2021-22, but when he was healthy, the production didn’t follow.

In those two seasons combined, Zucker appeared in 79 games and scored only 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points.

Out-pacing your two previous years combined would be huge for any player and a massive boost to the team.

There is one issue, however; Zucker hit those numbers in the final year of his contract and could become one of the top free agents on the market.

The Penguins will likely want to keep Zucker around, but can they even afford him? That kind of scoring touch is deserving of a possible raise.

Zucker’s current deal earns him $5.5 million against the salary cap and while the Penguins will have cap space to work with, does a 31-year-old Zucker make sense?

During the offseason, the Penguins have other priories that need to be zeroed in on, one of them being goaltending, but another is finding more youth.

Nothing against Zucker, but even 31 might be too old for the direction this team wants to go in.

Let’s not forget that the Fenway Sports Group is in the midst of looking for a new front office staff; who’s to say Zucker is part of the new group’s plans?

Whether if it’s in Pittsburgh or not, this is a big summer for Zucker; he says he wants to stay but understands that it’s out of his hands and up to his agent and the team.

Whatever deal Zucker signs this offseason, it’s likely going to be his final contract that earns him a good chunk of change.

Teams around the NHL are going to throw boat loads of money at Zucker if he takes the walk to free agency, and it’ll be hard for the Penguins to compete in that kind of auction.

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