Quick quiz.
Multiple choice.
The Rangers would be better off by, a) Having Mats Zuccarello re-up with Dallas so the Blueshirts get the Stars’ 2020 first-rounder; or, b) Bringing the Norwegian back as a free agent and naming him captain after signing the 33-year-old to, say, a four-year deal worth $5.75 million per with a no-move clause that guarantees protection in the 2021 Seattle expansion draft.
You know by now that the Blueshirts did not wind up with a third 2019 first-rounder when the Stars were unable to seal the deal in St. Louis, falling 2-1 in Game 7 double overtime when a victory would have yielded Dallas’ first as one of the conditions of the Feb. 23 Zuccarello deal. Instead, that pick becomes a second-rounder.
Thus, the Rangers now own a pair of first-rounders (their own at second-overall and Winnipeg’s at either 19th-overall if Colorado eliminated San Jose on Wednesday or 20th if Colorado was eliminated) plus a pair of second-rounders (Dallas’s at 49th and Tampa Bay’s at 58th). That’s set.
But adding the Stars’ first for 2020 remains a possibility that would come to fruition if Zuccarello, who meshed beautifully with his teammates from the first moment he slipped into the club’s green duds and recorded 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) in 13 playoff contests, signs an extension or new deal to remain in no-state-tax Dallas. If No. 36 signs elsewhere as a free agent, the Rangers will get the Stars’ 2020 third-rounder.
So even if the Rangers do have positive thoughts about a reunion, would it make any sense for general manager Jeff Gorton to speak with Zuccarello during the late June, pre-signing interview period and indicate such interest when it could come at the cost of a first-rounder? Would the Blueshirts actually attempt to compete with Dallas for Zuccarello?
Actually, Zuccarello’s unrestricted free agency is somewhat restricted by the trade conditions. Twenty-nine teams can sign him without penalty, but one team (Dallas) would have to pay compensation at the rate of a first-rounder to sign him and another (the Rangers) could stand to lose a first-rounder by signing him.
The same dynamics, by the way, exist for Matt Duchene, who had similar conditions attached to his trade to Columbus from Ottawa. This is something the NHLPA, if not the NHL, might want to review heading into the next round of collective-bargaining negotiations.
By all accounts, Zuccarello has been extremely happy in Dallas. The absence of state taxes helps both the club and the player in negotiating a deal. The Stars do not appear to have an expansion-draft protection problem that would prevent the club from giving the winger the no-move clause he undoubtedly would request. Plus, the Stars, who had missed the playoffs eight of the previous 10 years, seem close to winning, with Zuccarello almost instantly becoming one of the club’s most important and popular players.
Zuccarello’s history with Rangers management is mixed. The winger was hardballed by then-GM Glen Sather at the 2015 trade deadline into accepting a below-market four-year, $16 million extension under the threat of being dealt, and then was not offered an extension prior to 2018-19.
Instead, the Norwegian operated throughout the year as trade fodder, the uncertainty and perceived indignity of it all major factors in his unhappy and unproductive first four months, in which he posted 15 points (4-11) in 30 games while missing 13 matches with groin issues.
So as much as Zuccarello might love and miss New York, the prospect of No. 36 accepting any type of discount to return to the Rangers would appear mighty slim. It seems equally unlikely that the Rangers would go as long as four years on an offer for Zuccarello, even absent expansion-draft considerations or trade conditions.
If talks were to break down with the Stars and Zuccarello hits the open market on July 1, the Rangers would probably get involved, but it is very difficult to envision a scenario in which they are high bidders.
Quick quiz.
Multiple choice.
Or, c) Zuccarello signs with the Flyers or Islanders.
How about that one?