New York Rangers’ Best Players Since the 2004 Lockout Part One

#9: Mats Zuccarello, 2010/2011-Present

Mats Zuccarello is an interesting player on this list. He has quietly played an incredibly large role with the New York Rangers over the past four seasons.

Zuccarello joined the team full-time at the start of the 2013-2014 season. He had played a role with the team for the prior three seasons, but never without spending some time in the AHL.

His first year in the NHL came in 2011-2012. He saw 42 games, with 6 goals and 17 assists. Seemingly, ready to perform at a the NHL level every day. The following season, Zuccarello was not an everyday starter, but more like the next man up from the AHL. Zuccarello played just ten games with the New York Rangers, and 37 games down in the minors.

The next season, Zuccarello left for Russia to play in the KHL; only to return to the NHL for the final 15 regular season games and 12 postseason games of the 2012-2013 season.

The 2013-2014 season was Zuccarello’s first full season with the Rangers; burying 19 goals and 40 assists while averaging a little over 17 minutes per game. Since then, Zuccarello has been a mainstay on the New York Rangers’ offense.

Zuccarello has played just under 300 regular season games and 35 playoff games since fully joining the team. He has tallied nearly 250 total points. His consistency makes him one of the most unforgettable Rangers of this era, and good enough to fall into #9 on this countdown.