Sabres' Jason Zucker motivated to produce after difficult year: 'I want to be scoring'
Zucker's resume includes 697 regular-season games across 13 years, 52 playoff games, six seasons of 20-plus goals and, as important, a laundry list of former teammates who speak highly of him.
An exhibition game in Munich against a German professional team could have been treated by the Buffalo Sabres as nothing more than a homecoming for JJ Peterka and a glorified scrimmage to prepare for the season.
Lindy Ruff, who has coached the third-most games in NHL history, wouldn’t allow it, and neither would their oldest player, winger Jason Zucker, 32.
Forward Jason Zucker is expected to receive more time in the offensive zone with the Sabres and he’s currently on their second power-play unit.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Wearing lederhosen for the walk into the arena conjured laughs, and the 5-0 win over HC Red Bull Munich was an encouraging result before the final week of training camp, but Zucker does not want his teammates to overlook any mistakes that were made as they continue to prepare to open their season against the New Jersey Devils on Friday night at O2 arena in Prague.
“We missed four empty-netters in that game,” Zucker told The Buffalo News after the Sabres’ fast-paced, exhaustive 60-minute practice Monday at ICERINK, a facility southeast of downtown Prague. “You can’t do that in the NHL, or you’re not going to win games. The execution level must take another step up, but I like the core of what we’re doing.
The sage advice is only one reason why Zucker was signed to a one-year, $5 million contract in July. His resume includes 697 regular-season games across 13 years, 52 playoff games, six seasons of 20-plus goals and, as important, a laundry list of former teammates who speak highly of him. Anyone in the Sabres’ dressing room unfamiliar with Zucker could ask Alex Tuch and Jordan Greenway, both of whom played with him in Minnesota.
Tuch was only 19 years old and recently recalled to the NHL for the first time in February 2017 when Zucker invited him to dinner and ensured the Syracuse-area kid sat next to him and one of the Wild’s most experienced players, Zach Parise. Tuch hasn’t forgotten that night and the kindness behind it. But, as much as Zucker is relishing the opportunity to fill a leadership role on the youngest team in the NHL, he is also out to prove that heis more than the most experienced guy in the room and someone who can still score after a season in which he was used by Arizona to defend the other team’s best players.
“Last year was the first year of my career I was in that role, so it was a little different,” Zucker said. “It was a learning experience to figure that out and how to play the game that way and have that aspect of my game. I’ve always prided myself in being able to play anywhere in the lineup, first line, fourth line, penalty kill, power play, last minute of the game. It doesn’t matter, I can play there, and I think, last year, I proved that to myself a little bit more.
"It also proved to me that I still have the fire of, ‘I don’t want that ever again.’ I want to be a top-six guy. I want to be scoring 20 goals. It added a different kind of urgency to keep that in my game.”
The speed isn’t gone from Zucker’s game. Neither is the relentlessness to get to the front of the net and finish checks. He is a mature, defensively responsible player that has quickly earned Ruff’s trust in training camp. The production last season, or lack thereof, should be framed with important context.
Only 45.5% of Zucker’s 5-on-5 shifts with the Coyotes began in the offensive zone, compared to the 69.4% that he received while scoring a career-high 27 goals for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2022-23. He averaged only 13:49 of ice time, the lowest total of any full NHL season in his career, and finished his time in Arizona with nine goals and 25 points in 51 games.
The Coyotes didn’t have the skill yet to play like most talented NHL teams, so their coach, Andrei Tourigney, had them focus on defending and earning their scoring chances by smart plays away from the puck. Zucker ranked ninth on the team in goals and 10th in points when he was traded in March to the Nashville Predators for a sixth-round draft pick. He showed with the Predators that he can still score.
Zucker had five goals and seven points in 18 regular-season games with the Predators, then the club had an impressive 54.2% of the expected goals when he was on the ice at 5-on-5, even though most of his shifts started in the defensive zone. He had one goal and three points as Nashville was eliminated in Game 6 of the first round by Vancouver. Altogether, the 32 points were the fewest he's had in a full, non-injury shortened season since 2015-16.
The ice time may not be different in Buffalo, based on Ruff’s recent comments to the media, but early signs suggest Zucker will receive more time in the offensive zone with his line, and he is currently on the Sabres’ second power-play unit.
“You can put him in any situation,” Tuch said. "You can put him up and down the lineup. He’s going to be a utility-belt kind of guy for us. … It's an outside perspective from a leadership standpoint that I think is really big, too. He’s played on a lot of different teams. He’s played with a lot of teams that have been really successful, with a lot of unbelievable players. I like to pick his brain about different things, different players and how things worked on different teams. He saw success in certain areas and he saw failures in other areas.”
The Sabres grabbed Zucker’s attention each time he faced them in recent years, and sometimes for the wrong reasons. Their skill stood out in those matchups while he was with Pittsburgh and Arizona. He saw a young, promising team that had the potential to become special. But, those games typically went one of two ways, according to Zucker.
“They were one of those teams that you can either lose 7-0 or you’re going to win 7-0,” he said. “Either you had no room out there and they were just skilled and scoring everywhere, but you were going to get your chances if you played a really hard game against them and remained patient. That needs to change this year. Like, no letdowns ever. Be relentless, keep going. That will go a long way.”
Zucker would know. The well-traveled veteran has carved out a long, successful career with five different teams. He’s only 5-foot-11, but plays as though he is several inches taller. If Ruff draws up a play in practice that requires forwards to get to the net, he knows Zucker will be the first to embrace the drill. His line with Ryan McLeod and Jordan Greenway has shined in training camp and exhibition games, but the long shifts in the offensive zone have yet to translate to goals.
The entire group is going through a similar process, said Zucker, and he cited the missed empty-net goals Friday in Munich as an example that the Sabres can’t be satisfied with where they’re at only a few days before their season opener in Prague. The will to win among the returning players has impressed Zucker, and they’ve shown him in practice each day that they’re hungry to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The chance to be part of the solution was too much to pass up.
“I chose Buffalo for a reason,” said Zucker. “A lot of it is the young talent. A lot of it’s the opportunity for me, but a lot of it is where they can go, and I want to be a part of that. I’ve learned a lot about my leadership role and leadership personality and all of those aspects. I think that can grow with this group, which is an exciting opportunity for me.”
