Zuccarello, Rangers excited forward is staying put

NEW YORK -- New York Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello is happy he'll have the chance to remain "home."

The 27-year-old right wing had been on pins and needles all weekend after reports surfaced of a possible trade in the works as general manager Glen Sather looked to upgrade his team for the stretch run of the regular season and Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Discussions with Zuccarello's agent, Don Meehan, on a new contract had slowed and Sather at the time began exploring his options with the NHL Trade Deadline slated for Monday at 3 p.m. ET. The Norwegian forward was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and Sather had no intentions of losing his top-line player for nothing.

Mats Zuccarello

Right Wing - NYR

GOALS: 12 | ASST: 25 | PTS: 37
SOG: 128 | +/-: 15

"I am glad that it worked out, he is a young player that is only in his first couple years in the NHL," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "He's a very competitive player and highly skilled and is only going to get better. I'm very happy we have him locked up for the next four years."

Sather was glad to get a contract done. Zuccarello (5-foot-7, 179 pounds) ranks second on the team with 48 takeaways, fourth on the team with 25 assists and fifth with 37 points and 95 hits. He has more career goals (42), assists (88) and points (130) than any other Norwegian-born player in NHL history.

"I like everything about him, his tenacity, hard work, how he sees the ice, the chemistry he brings to our team and the way he is in the room," Sather said. "He has been a terrific player for us."

No one was more relieved than Zuccarello.

"This is where I want to be and I want to be a part of this team," Zuccarello said. "I want to try and win with this team. This is where I have been all along, this is home and it feels nice that I'm going to be able to try and win with this team for a period now and I feel really happy about that."

Zuccarello, an undrafted free agent signed by the Rangers in May 2010, exhibited that energetic and relentless blue-collar effort that Rangers fans and coaches have come to expect in a 4-1 victory against the Nashville Predators on Monday night.

He was serenaded when announced as a starter prior to puck drop with the familiar, "Zuuc!" He was then on the receiving end of similar cheers at the end of the game when he was named first star after finishing with two assists.

"You can never know, but I think every person knew that I wanted to stay here," Zuccarello said. "It is what it is. I wasn't really in the middle of it [negotiations]. At the end of the day, it worked out."

Zuccarello had 17:59 of ice time, set up defenseman Marc Staal with a nifty touch pass in the left circle on the Rangers' first goal and threw a dart to stick blade of forward Chris Kreider in the slot from the right circle for what ended up as the game-winning goal. Zuccarello was surrounded by reporters and cameras at the end of the game and was all smiles.

"[Signing Zuccarello] is huge," Staal said. "He's been a big part of this team for a long time. I'm glad he got something done that he can be comfortable with and the team can be comfortable with. I'm ecstatic he chose to stay."