The return of Jason Zucker to the Arizona Coyotes lineup is much more significant than many people may think. Zucker went down with an injury on October 21 which sidelined him for multiple games but he made his return to the lineup on Thursday night against the St. Louis Blues. Coach André Tourigny talked about the significance of having Zucker on the ice and back with the team. “Really good veteran presence, calm on the bench, know when it’s time to bring energy, know when it’s time to settle down a little bit,” Tourigny said. “So, really good for a guy like Cooley, who he is close with. Good as well in the structure, brings depth to our team, brings a lot.” André Tourigny spoke prior to the Coyotes game against the Nashville Predators. The 31-year-old forward provides two important things to this Coyotes team: A scoring touch Arizona desperately needs and a strong veteran presence as Tourigny so perfectly put it. When healthy, Zucker is a very reliable scorer, showing that last year with his 27 goals in 78 games as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s scored over 20 goals five times in his career while putting up over 30 goals back during the 2017-18 season with the Minnesota Wild. Zucker’s role offensively is a big one especially on the second wave of the power play where he is one of the team’s most valuable weapons. The Coyotes are a young team so leadership is crucial for their growth which is exactly what Zucker provides. The veteran forward has experienced so much through his long NHL career thus far so that wisdom should spread onto the younger players. Logan Cooley and Jason Zucker have been paired together since the start of training camp and Zucker has kind of taken the 2022 third overall pick under his wing which is huge for a player trying to break out in the NHL. Zucker’s return also really helps balance out the Coyotes forward pairings which is very important because their offensive production has been sporadic to start the season. Through his six games Zucker has two goals. These numbers should only increase as Zucker continues to play more and get acclimated to Tourigny’s system.
