As the Minnesota Wild transition their roster to a youthful group of talent, winger Jason Zucker's name continues to be mentioned in the rumour mill.
First, after the NHL trade deadline had passed, it was reported that Zucker was close to becoming a Calgary Flame, but the trade talks broke off late and ultimately never came to fruition.
A few weeks back, Zucker almost became a Pittsburgh Penguin in a deal that would've shocked the hockey world if Phil Kessel accepted a trade to the Minnesota Wild.
Despite no deal ever going down, GM Paul Fenton then reportedly had several offers on the table according to beat reporter Michael Russo, including one with the Vancouver Canucks. Fenton supposedly asked the Canucks for right-winger Brock Boeser, to which the Canucks said to have immediately hung up on Fenton over.
While that trade is almost guaranteed to not go down, dialogue between the former Northwest division foes is reportedly still ongoing.
According to TSN 1040 co-host Mike Halford, the Canucks are "all over Jason Zucker."
“I won’t say who it is, but it’s a pretty decent source, enough that I trust that I’ll go live on the air with this,” said Halford. “Quote: ‘Mike, I’m hearing that Vancouver is all over Jason Zucker. There are multiple trade offers on the table.’”
It's no secret why Zucker, 27, has been so coveted. He's a versatile winger who can play both sides, has four more years left at $5.5 million, and his goal-scoring prowess would be welcomed with open arms by any team's top-six forward group -- the product of Las Vegas has averaged 25 goals a season over his last three years, including 33 in the 2017-18 season.
The Canucks have wanted to upgrade their forward group for quite some time and Zucker could conceivably fill that void. Slotting him next to Elias Pettersson or Bo Horvat would instantly add an element of goal-scoring.
