After signing with the Arizona Coyotes, Jason Zucker talks about his decision to come to the Valley and his optimism on the team's future.
The Arizona Coyotes made a big splash in free agency with the acquisition of Jason Zucker signing the left winger to a one-year $5.3 million contract.
The 31-year-old is looking forward to being a part of this young Coyotes team and feels he can step up as leader which is a role he is not generally accustomed to.
“I'm really excited,” Zucker said. “It's an unbelievable organization with a lot of great young talent. Everyone from Keller to Schmaltz to Maccelli, Barrett Hayton, Cooley, I mean all the way down the lineup they've gotten some amazing talent, so I'm really looking forward to getting there and getting to know the guys and now being the old guy on the team, I'm looking forward to hopefully helping bring a little bit of leadership to that side and just excited to be a part of it.”
Zucker played for the Pittsburgh Penguins last season where he had 27 goals, 21 assists and 48 points. While Zucker has been with the Penguins organization since 2020, he felt that departing Pittsburgh to make his way to Arizona was the right move for him.
“They showed a lot of interest right away, and that's a good feeling for any player in this league, Zucker said. “When a team wants you and knowing that they want you a part of the organization and a little bit selfishly is I love the West Coast. Being a Vegas kid, I love the West Coast. I love the desert and I watched the Coyotes a ton growing up because I was playing all throughout the West Coast, so I got to see them a lot.”
When facing-off against the Coyotes in the past, Zucker has been impressed with the way the team played under coach Andre Tourigny and feels Arizona is in a great position going into next year.
“They're a hard working team with a lot of skill and I think they play a fast style of play,” Zucker said. “I like the system they play that's it's kind of not necessarily run and gun but it's a fast approach to the game, speed is a priority, play making as a priority. I think that shows the way the coaching staff wants that team to play and play to their strengths and I thought that was very evident. I thought they worked extremely hard. It definitely wasn't an easy game in any of those circumstances and so they're a tough team to play and I think adding some of these pieces that we added today, I think are going to be great pieces moving forward.”
Zucker should be an extremely impactful player for the Coyotes next season when it comes to goalscoring and stepping up as a leader.
It's an exciting time for Zucker as he embarks on the next chapter of his career.