In Jason Zucker, Sabres lock up an invaluable veteran

During the Buffalo Sabres’ late-January visit to Seattle, general manager Kevyn Adams sat down with Jason Zucker to discuss his future. Adams got straight to the point with Zucker, then a pending unrestricted free agent enjoying one of his most productive seasons.

“I challenged him a little bit,” Adams recalled. “Tell me why you want to be a Sabre.”

The 33-year-old forward made clear his desire to remain in Buffalo, an objective that laid the groundwork for Friday’s two-year contract extension. The deal pays Zucker an average annual value of $4.75 million through the 2026-27 season.

“I believe in the group, and I think it’s been a fun challenge for me being one of the older guys on the team,” said Zucker. “Obviously, this year didn’t go the way we wanted to this point, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t make progress. To me, it’s a little bit of an unfinished business thing, too.

“But, again, it’s been enjoyable to be a part of, and I’m happy to be a part of the group.”

The team has fallen short of expectations, as Zucker alluded to. On an individual level, however, he’s exceeded them in his 14th NHL season. He ranks fourth on the Sabres with 18 goals and fifth with 44 points. And Zucker has accumulated those points in 54 games for a career-best 0.81 point-per-game average.

But numbers aren’t the half of it. Zucker, Buffalo’s oldest skater by more than three years, has embraced a leadership role on the league’s youngest roster. He often addresses the media after tough losses and accepts fault, regardless of his involvement. And his impact has been felt across the Sabres’ room.

Tage Thompson has praised Zucker’s levelheadedness and vocal presence during an up-and-down season. Nineteen-year-old Zach Benson has studied Zucker’s net-front work and stick positioning on the man advantage, which have contributed to a career-high nine power-play goals for Zucker. Even Rasmus Dahlin, still learning to lead in his first season as captain, leans on Zucker for advice.

• From January: Zucker drawing rave reviews from Sabres teammates

“I can't say enough good things about Jason Zucker from Day 1,” Adams said. “You get a guy in, you do your homework in the summer and you hear things, but you never really know till a guy walks in the door. He has been a leader – a tremendous pro.”

When he signed a one-year, $5 million deal last July, Zucker was no stranger to new surroundings. Drafted 59th overall by Minnesota in 2010, he played 456 games with the Wild before bouncing around to Pittsburgh, Arizona and Nashville.

As Zucker quickly acclimated to the Sabres, his fifth team in six years, his offensive production put the ball in Adams’ court: Either negotiate an extension or trade the winger to a contender. Rumors of the latter route heated up as Friday’s trade deadline approached.

“Fortunately or unfortunately – depends on which way you look at it, I suppose – I’ve been in trade speculations for quite a while now throughout my career,” Zucker said. “You’re never going to be able to block it out, but it’s just something you deal with for those couple of weeks. For me, I knew my focus was always trying to get something done to stay here. I was just glad that we were able to get it done.”

“I give him credit, because he would have been a pretty sought-after guy on the open market, for sure, with the year he's had,” Adams said.

Buffalo clearly works for Zucker, the hockey player. For Zucker, the husband and father, the geographic and financial stability of a multi-year contract goes a long way.

“It was something I was pushing for from the beginning,” he said. “I told Kevyn right away that, for me, wanting to be here was not just on a one-year basis. So yeah, I was thankful that he had the belief in me to want to do that, and (I’m) looking forward to the opportunity.”

Looking ahead

Zucker is expected to return from a six-game absence – due to a lower-body injury – as the Sabres host the Edmonton Oilers on Monday. Buffalo has gone 0-5-1 with him on the shelf.

Despite occupying last place in the conference, the Sabres have shown enough promise to inspire Zucker’s two-year commitment.

“I think we’ve had some really good stretches this year,” Zucker said. “I think we’ve shown the talent we have. I think we’ve shown the way we can play when we have a willingness to play the right way and do it for a full 60. I mean, that’s been our biggest Achilles heel all year, is doing it for a full 60 minutes. … Just seeing what we have the ability to do is exciting.”

Zucker expressed optimism that with more NHL experience under their belts, Buffalo’s talented young players will continue developing and, together, find a consistent winning formula. That growth hinges upon a number of factors, but perhaps none more crucial than the presence of veterans like Zucker.

“We’re still the youngest team in the league, so you don’t want to be giving up on that.”