Islanders: Keeping up on NHL Trade Rumors – Tyson Barrie on the Block

Jason Zucker

Why is he available?

To be fair, his name has been out there for a while now. Specifically with the Minnesota Wild’s previous regime. Since Bill Guerin has come in though, we haven’t heard much about Zucker’s availability.

Recently, Zucker was benched after some poor defensive play. He’d respond by scoring a goal later on in the game. Afterward, his coach had some interesting words:

"“We talk about it all the time. We show him all the time,” Boudreau said. “He’s gotta be committed to doing it all the time, not just when you feel like it.”"

That statement jogged my memory from earlier this year when Jason Zucker took a shot at Bruce Boudreau:

"“I think more than (a meeting’s) going to have to jump-start us to be honest with you,” Zucker said, according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo. “It’s going to be each individual guy from Bruce on down. Bruce has got to be better. We’ve got to be better. Everybody’s got to be better. That’s it.” – Jason Zucker"

Look, it’s no secret that the Wild are going to have to break things down to rebuild. With one of the worst records in the NHL, the Wild are in that phase where teams sell off talented veterans for picks and prospects. Zucker fits that bill. It’s why everyone in Buffalo talking trade.

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Islanders Interest Level: 1/5

The 27-year-old is clearly at top-six talent. He’s scored 20 or more goals over the last three seasons. His career-high for goals and points was in 2017-18 when he scored 33 goals and 64 points.

He’s clearly a good player but is he better than the players the Islanders already have in their top six? I don’t like the idea of rentals, but I know that NHL teams don’t care about my personal beliefs. So, with that in mind, if the price isn’t too high then Zucker could be a good option.