It turns out that the Minnesota Wild will be without Mats Zuccarello for more than “a bit.” It was revealed by the team Tuesday that the popular former New York Rangers forward is out at least 7-8 weeks with a lower-body injury.
Zuccarello’s been sidelined since the start of training camp with what is believed to be a back injury. After telling reporters earlier this month that Zuccarello could miss several days, Wild coach John Hynes extended that guesstimate Sunday.
“‘Zuccy’ is going to be out for a bit … I don’t know the timeline yet,” Hynes stated Sunday .
Now the Wild and their coach know the timeline, and it’s certainly not good news for them. Zuccarello played a big role helping the Wild land the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference last season. They did so despite superstar forward Kirill Kaprizov missing 41 games with a lower-body injury that required surgery.
Zuccarello was fourth on the Wild with 19 goals and 54 points. His 16 power-play points tied for second most on the club, behind Matt Boldy (21).
The 38-year-old plays in all game situations and special teams for the Wild. Last season, he averaged 19:39 TOI. So, his absence leaves a sizeable hole in the lineup.
Earlier Tuesday, the Wild signed Kaprizov to a massive eight-year, $136 million contract extension, that begins in 2026-27. The $17 million average annual value is most in NHL history.
Zuccarello is in the final season of a two-year, $8.25 million extension he signed in September of 2023, which pays him $4.125 million annually.
Related: How J.T. Miller ‘handled taking s***’ from Mats Zuccarello as Rangers rookie
This is Zuccarello’s 16th NHL season, seventh with the Wild. He’s played more games (904), scored more goals (217), had more assists (473), and totaled more points (690) than any other player born in Norway in League history.
Signed by the Rangers as undrafted free agent in May 2010, Zuccarello was an immensely popular player for nine seasons on Broadway. The 5-foot-8 forward won the admiration of teammates, coaches, and Rangers fans alike, beginning in the 2010-11 season until he was shipped to the Dallas Stars ahead of the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline.
Zuccarello won the prestigious Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award three times. Only Adam Graves (five) and Ryan Callahan (four) won it more often than Zuccarello.
He scored an NHL career-high 26 goals and had 61 points for the Rangers in 2015-16. Zuccarello’s twice scored 20+ goals for the Wild, including 24 in 2021-22, when he also registered a career-best 79 points.
Just last week, another former Rangers forward received suboptimal injury news. Kaapo Kakko sustained a broken hand after he was slashed in a preseason game for the Seattle Kraken and is out six weeks,
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