PuckSleuth
16Not on an NHL roster · Left wing · Shoots L
Jason Zucker
Age 34 · 5'11" · 200 lb · Born in Newport Beach, USA
Cap hit
$4.75M
4.6% of $104M cap
Term
1 yr
Through 2026-27, then UFA
Clause
M-NTC
5-team no-trade list
Surplus value
+$2.503M
vs. $7.253M market estimate
Contract details from our records; public announcement not yet matched
2025-26 regular season
GP
62
Goals
24
18.8% shooting
Assists
21
11 primary
Points
45
0.73 per game
TOI/GP
15:37
PP 3:22 · PK 0:00
xGF%
51.0
5v5, +2.9 vs. last yr
Game Score
+0.75
per game
Faceoff %
38.7
48 W · 76 L
Plus/minus
-5
Blocks 21 · Hits 57
Game log
Last 5 games · NHL API
| Game | G | A | SOG | HIT | BLK | TOI | PP | PK | FO | OZS% | GV | TK | +/- | GS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18 vs MTL · OTL 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 16:39 | 1:07 | 0:00 | 0-1 | 83 | 2 | 0 | -1 | -0.16 |
| May 16 @ MTL · W 8-3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13:29 | 1:52 | 0:00 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +2.24 |
| May 14 vs MTL · L 6-3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 13:35 | 1:01 | 0:00 | — | 40 | 1 | 0 | +1 | +1.26 |
| May 12 @ MTL · W 3-2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12:14 | 1:21 | 0:00 | — | 33 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +0.13 |
| May 10 @ MTL · L 6-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6:47 | 0:31 | 0:00 | — | 50 | 0 | 0 | -1 | -0.16 |
GS = our Game Score (credit for everything he did; goals and assists count most). FO = faceoffs won-lost. OZS% = share of his 5v5 offensive and defensive zone faceoff starts that were in the offensive zone. GV/TK = giveaways/takeaways.
Advanced metrics
5v5 unless noted · 2025-26 · 738 min · percentile vs. NHL forwards
64th percentile
46th percentile
52nd percentile
46th percentile
32nd percentile
49th percentile
72nd percentile
42nd percentile
55th percentile
92nd percentile
88th percentile
79th percentile
81st percentile
67th percentile
xGF% is his team's share of 5v5 expected goals while he was on the ice, from our own expected goals model; HDCF% counts only high-danger chances (xG of 0.15 or more). IPP is the share of his team's 5v5 goals while he was on the ice that he scored or assisted on. Relative stats compare him with his team when he was off the ice. Goals above expected and ixG/60 use his own shots at all strengths. PDO and OZS% describe luck and deployment, so their bars are grey.
Play styleVolume scorer with limited playmaking
Trait percentiles vs. NHL wingers · 2025-26
Zucker relies on getting shots off consistently from dangerous areas, but lacks the speed and defensive engagement to impact the full 200 feet. His offensive production comes primarily from high-volume shooting rather than dynamic playmaking or elite transition game.
- Shooting volume
- 74
- Playmaking
- 61
- Zone entries(est.)
- 9
- Forechecking
- 43
- Physicality
- 35
- Defensive impact
- 9
- Puck management
- 3
- Speed
- 27
Where he shoots from
Slot 68% · Mid-range 22% · Perimeter 10%(192 unblocked shots)
Strengths
- Shooting volume at 74th percentile drives offensive chances from close range
- 68% of unblocked shots from the slot shows dangerous net-front presence
- 5v5 expected goals share at 51% keeps him even in overall play
Watch-outs
- Defensive impact at 9th percentile limits his value away from the offensive zone
- Speed at 27th percentile restricts his ability to generate transition chances
- Puck management at 3rd percentile, turnover-prone with limited offensive creation
Similar style: Vladimir Tarasenko, Jeff Skinner
Built from play-by-play, shift data, and NHL EDGE tracking. Zone entries is an estimate (rush chances while he is on the ice) until tracking data is added.
Where his Game Score comes from
2025-26 · 62 GP
Season total +46.4, or +0.75 per game.
- Scoring
- +36.7
- Shooting
- +9.6
- 5-on-5 goals
- +0.9
- Defense
- -0.6
- Physical play
- +2.2
- Puck battles
- -2.9
- Penalties
- +0.8
- Faceoffs
- -0.3
Game Score gives credit for everything a player does in a game. Goals (1.0) and assists (0.7 primary, 0.5 secondary) count most; shots, blocks, hits, takeaways, penalties drawn, faceoff wins, killing penalties, and holding down the other team's chances add to it. Only mistakes subtract: goals against at 5-on-5, giveaways, penalties taken, faceoff losses, and allowing more chances than an average player would. A player who is there to defend or kill penalties is not marked down for not scoring. Goalies are measured by goals saved above expected.
Career stats
From the NHL's player records
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PPG | PPP | SHG | GWG | SOG | S% | TOI | FO% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | Minnesota Wild | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 9.1 | 13:29 | — |
| 2014-15 | Minnesota Wild | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 9.5 | 14:11 | — |
| 2015-16 | Minnesota Wild | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0.0 | 13:56 | — |
| 2016-17 | Minnesota Wild | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 5.0 | 17:15 | — |
| 2017-18 | Minnesota Wild | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0.0 | 16:27 | 100.0 |
| 2019-20 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 16.7 | 17:14 | — |
| 2020-21 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 16.7 | 15:25 | — |
| 2021-22 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0.0 | 13:45 | — |
| 2023-24 | Nashville Predators | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | +4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 5.9 | 14:18 | — |
| 2025-26 | Buffalo Sabres | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 11.1 | 14:33 | 11.1 |
| Career | 10 seasons | 65 | 11 | 11 | 22 | -13 | 16 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 131 | 8.4 | 14:52 | — |
Seasons traded mid-year show one row per team.
Latest news
Headlines from news outlets and team blogs
- Noah Ostlund expresses excitement about potential Sabres kid line
sabrenoise.com · Sep 17
- Jason Zucker's absence creates major opportunities for key Sabres in camp
sabrenoise.com · Sep 16
Sentiment & chatter
Fans
—
Beat writers
—
Media
—
Fan, beat writer, and media scores, the 14-day trade chatter chart, and the latest mentions appear once sentiment scoring is switched on. Mentions are already being collected.
Recent Game Scores
Last 10 games · goals above average
Average +0.38 per game over these 10.
Skating · NHL EDGE
2025-26, as of Oct 2
- Top speed
- 21.9 mph
- 34th pct
- 20+ mph bursts
- 44
- Hardest shot
- 83.2 mph
- 39th pct
- Distance
- 146.0 mi
- OZ time
- 45.4%
- 89th pct
- DZ time
- 36.7%
Age curve
NHL forwards · production index
At 34, forwards typically produce 63% of their peak (age 24).
From 24 seasons of NHL results, adjusted for league scoring and save percentage in each era. Shaded bars are the seasons left on his contract.
Contract by season
1 season left
| Season | Team | Cap hit | % of cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | BUF | $4.75M | 4.6% |
UFA after 2026-27. M-NTC (5-team list). $4.75M in cap hits left. % of cap uses each season's ceiling where the league has set one ($104M this season, $113.5M in 2027-28).