Penguins Have Decision To Make With Jason Zucker's New Contract
Will the Pittsburgh Penguins re-sign Jason Zucker at his predicted price tag?
Heading into the 2022-23 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins had no idea what they were going to get from Jason Zucker.
In his first handful of games with the Penguins just prior to the COVID outbreak, Zucker was a solid addition for the Penguins’ lineup.
Zucker scored 12 points (6G-6A) in his first 15 matches, but the next two seasons weren’t as productive.
In the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, Zucker played in a combined 79 games while posting only 17 goals and 18 assists for 35 points.
With that perspective, that makes Zucker’s 2022-23 season a breath of fresh air; in 79 games, he recorded 27 goals and 21 assists for 48 points and was commonly the Penguins lynchpin for energy.
There is one downside to that increase in production for the Penguins: he did it in a contract year and is looking for a new deal this summer.
Can the Penguins afford him? Will he be able to stay healthy and produce at that level again as he continues to age on the wrong side of 30?
What does a new contract for Zucker look like? According to Daily Faceoff, he is due for what could be the final big contract of his career at about the same dollar amount.
Daily Faceoff’s contract projections give Zucker a five-year $5.4 million contract that would run him to the age of 36.
Zucker is wrapping up a deal that netted him $5.5 against the cap each season.
The Penguins have $20 million in cap space to work with, but is Zucker part of the plans? Is he going to be looked at as a necessity to a new management group?
Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, Zucker earned whatever he makes this offseason.
Make sure you bookmark Inside the Penguins for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns and so much more!
- Subscribe to Inside the Penguins on YouTube
- Follow Inside the Penguins on Twitter: @InsidePenguins