Posted 7/27
I went on a bit of a rant on my twitter last Saturday about what the Rangers should do with Mats Zuccarello. If you remember, it was rumored that the Rangers were not MZ's first choice as he wanted to play with the other half of the Swedish Olympic men's ice hockey team known as the Detroit Red Wings. When MZ approached Red Wings GM Ken Holland about signing in Detroit, Holland couldn't promise him extensive time in the NHL without starting in the minors first. Upon visiting the Rangers, he was apparently told he would start the season in New York and thus signed with the Rangers. As we all know MZ started the season in Hartford and was called up in December, he was also promoted/demoted a couple times during the season as well, as an injury replacement. He has done everything he can during his time in New York to make himself a better player at the NHL level.
MZ is a Brad Richards-esque player just in terms of his statistics. In Sweden, he was better than a point-per-game player with those points coming more in assists than goals. In his last two seasons in Sweden, over 90 games, he scored 35 goals with 69 assists for 104 points. Last season between New York and Hartford, over 78 games, he scored 19 goals with 33 assists for 52 points, which I think is fantastic for a guy playing in his first full season on North American ice. I would LOVE to see MZ play on the first line with Richards and Gaborik next season. Just having those guys on the ice is going to open up a ton of ice for him and he certainly has the speed to keep up with Gaborik. MZ is entering the last year on his contract and I would hate to see him be stuck in Hartford for the majority of next season and leave only to succeed in the NHL somewhere else.
No comments:
Post a Comment