New York Rangers: What is Mats Zuccarello worth to another team?

The New York Rangers stumbled upon a folk hero when they signed Mats Zuccarello following the 2010 Winter Olympics. With the forward entering the last year of his contract the Rangers may have to trade the team’s most beloved player.

There are a few things that are guaranteed in life: Death, taxes, the New England Patriots in the AFC title game and the Garden faithful screaming “ZUUUC,” at the top of their lungs every time Mats Zuccarello touches the puck. There is simply something enchanting about watching a player that is only 5’8 excel at such a physically demanding game.

It is no exaggeration to say that Zuccarello very well may be the steal of the decade for the New York Rangers. The team signed the Norwegian forward to a series of bridge deals until he proved himself worthy of a long term deal with back to back 45 plus point seasons. In addition to being the heart and soul of the team on the ice, Zuccarello makes plays happen when the puck is on his stick.

The forward has led the team in points four of the past five seasons and taken on responsibilities on both the power play and penalty kill at different points. Zuccarello finds a way to be effective in every single phase of the game. The sole complaint that Zuccarello can occasionally draw is that he is too passive of scoring opportunities in hopes of finding the perfect play.

As the New York Rangers front office embarks on a multiyear rebuild, there is a decision to be made regarding Zuccarello. However, the front office may be faced with the reality that the forward is worth more to the Rangers than another team.

The market

There is always going to be a market for players capable of registering 50 points in a season that can play on the penalty kill. However, Zuccarello’s uniqueness as a player as well as his ties to the Rangers organization may hurt his overall trade value. Typically, in assessing what a player is worth another trade in a similar time frame is set as the measuring stick.

This past trade deadline there were two trades made for top six forward talent. The Vegas Golden nights sent a first, second and third round pick to the Detroit Red Wings while the Winnipeg Jets sent a prospect a fourth and a first round pick to the St. Louis Blues for Paul Stastny. Both deals seemed to be slight overpays being that neither player had term remaining on their contract.

However, if the market is a slow boil, it could favor the Rangers. It usually takes one trade to open the floodgates in regards to the trade market. That is why nothing really materialized for the New York Rangers at the NHL draft. Although all of the rumors surrounding the team indicated they’d be active, the front office made a single move to move up a few spots to draft K’Andre Miller.

A Sophie’s choice

Neither choice for Zuccarello’s future is all of that palatable. The forward has been through so much as a member of the Rangers. The winger suffered a fractured skull and lost the ability to speak for several days in pursuit of a Stanley Cup. For a brief time there were questions as to whether or not he’d ever even return to hockey.

Now with the looming choice of giving Zuccarello one last contract with term or trading him, there really is no good choice. If the team gives the forward a contract for at least three years, the front office may be backing itself into a corner in which money is tied up in a player on the down swing. But, on the bright side, Zuccarello would probably be named captain if he were to re-up for a few more years.

On the other hand, if Jeff Gorton, the team’s General Manger, were to trade Zuccarello he’d likely get short changed and face vicious backlash. It wouldn’t be quite seeing Brian Leetch in a Maple Leafs jersey, but seeing Zuccarello in a sweater that didn’t read Rangers diagonally across the chest would sting an awful lot.

On the open market, Zuccarello would likely fetch a low first round pick and a low end prospect. Would that type of return be worth the headache that trading Zuccarello would induce? The ball is in Gorton’s court and there is not any inclination as to what’s coming next. Pretty much everything is on the table for the next 12 months as the front office buckles in to the rebuild.