Penguins forward Jason Zucker off to better start this season
There was one member of the Pittsburgh Penguins who was dismayed when they traded for forward Jason Zucker in February of 2020.
Assistant coach Todd Reirden.
Then again, at that time, he was head coach of the rival Washington Capitals.
“Personally, I was not happy that he was joining the Penguins, to have to coach against him,” Reirden said. “That’s the ultimate compliment you can give a player.”
The Penguins certainly seemed to think highly of Zucker when they dealt for him 21 months ago. After all, they sent a first-round pick, promising defensive prospect Calen Addison and disappointing veteran forward Alex Galchenyuk to the Minnesota Wild to acquire Zucker’s services.
Since then, it’s been a mixed bag for what the top-six winger has offered.
Following the trade, Zucker produced at a healthy rate — 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 16 games — for the remainder of the pandemic-interrupted 2019-20 season while primarily skating with top line center Sidney Crosby.
The 2020-21 campaign was far more difficult. While mostly working on the second line with center Evgeni Malkin, Zucker played in 38 games and posted 18 points (nine goals, nine assists).
He’s off to a more satisfying start this season. On the second line once again, he has been teamed with a rotating crew of centers because of the team’s health woes. Through the first 10 games of the campaign, he has six points (three goals, three assists).
“It’s definitely been a better step for me,” Zucker said. “Kind of back to where I wanted to start the year. The last few games, the points haven’t come. But the chances have been there. We’ve played some pretty good hockey. … Overall, I like where our game is at right now.”
Said Reirden: “He brings the speed, the energy, the veteran stature in our room, especially now that we’re missing some of our leaders. He’s doing a great job of leading our group and saying things at the right time. His compete this year, for me, has been at a different level. That’s allowed him to have much more of an impact in the game than maybe he did at points last year. I’m sure he’ll be excited to go against the Wild.”
Because of the pandemic and the effect it has had on the NHL’s schedule the past 20 months, Saturday’s home game against the Wild at PPG Paints Arena was the first between the two teams since the trade. During the contest, a 5-4 shootout loss, Zucker recorded two assists.
Zucker had a mostly enjoyable tenure in Minnesota and continues to maintain a full-time residence in the state.
“It’s been a little bizarre,” Zucker said. “I feel like I’ve been here for 10 years now and still haven’t played them. It’s exciting. Still have a lot of good friends over there. Have a ton of respect for the organization and the way they treated me and the opportunity they gave me.”
Penguins hire ex-Olympian Wendell-Pohl
The Penguins hired former Olympian Krissy Wendell-Pohl as an amateur scout.
She is the first woman to serve in a scouting capacity in the franchise’s history. Her duties will have her primarily scout in the Minnesota region.
Wendell-Pohl, 40, was a member of the United States Olympic team in 2002 and 2006, winning silver and bronze, respectively. Additionally, she was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2019.
In addition to the Olympics, she has also served as skated with the national team in six world championship tournaments and was captain of the 2005 squad that won gold in the International Ice Hockey Federation’s (IIHF) World Championship tournament.
A native of Brooklyn Park, Minn., Wendell-Pohl played three years for the University of Minnesota and helped the Golden Gophers win the NCAA championship in 2004 and 2005.
During her final collegiate campaign of 2004-05, Wendell-Pohl scored 104 points (43 goals, 61 assists) in 40 games and claimed the Patty Kazmaier Award as the best collegiate women’s player that season.
Following her playing career, Wendell-Pohl coached at the high school level in Minnesota along with her husband, former NHL forward Johnny Pohl.
Gaudreau remains grateful
Wild forward Frederick Gaudreau played his first game in Pittsburgh since leaving the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason.
After initially joining the Penguins as a free agent by signing a one-year, two-way contract during the 2020 offseason, Gaudreau opened the 2020-21 campaign with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League (AHL). Throughout the season, Gaudreau was moved between the AHL roster, the taxi squad and the NHL roster through 16 different sets of transactions that were primarily for the benefit of the Penguins’ day-to-day management of the salary cap.
Despite that, Gaudreau enjoyed his only season with the Penguins by maintaining a profound perspective on the experience.
“It was great,” Gaudreau said. “It was just a crazy year with covid and everything. … Whether it was Wilkes-Barre or the taxi squad, every day I was able to play hockey, which was awesome. I just enjoyed it. Wherever I was, I enjoyed it and I tried to get better. It was a positive experience for sure.
“What I noticed when I was there is just a strong culture. Everybody that is there is good people. It starts from there, from the locker room. Everybody shows up and (is) just there for their teammates.”
Gaudreau enjoyed some positive results once he got into some NHL games for the Penguins. In 19 games, he scored 10 points (two goals, eight assists). By the postseason, he was a regular in the Penguins lineup, posting three points (one goal, two assists) in six contests.
That success led to Gaudreau getting a two-year contract with a salary cap hit of $1.2 million.
The Penguins expressed interest in re-signing Gaudreau, but the Wild’s offer was to good to pass up.
“It’s just business at that point,” Gaudreau said. “So many things happen in negotiations, you just try to find the best fit for you.”
Appearing in all 10 of the Wild’s games this season, Gaudreau has four points (one goal, three assists) while clocking a career-best 17 minutes, 22 seconds of ice time per game, primarily as the team’s second-line center in recent games. During Saturday’s game, he recorded two assists.
“It’s always good to see more ice time,” Gaudreau said. “Just see a different role. For sure, it’s different. I’ve never played that much before in this league. But I like it. It’s great. I like that challenge. I like this opportunity.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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