Zuccarello (lower body) was shifted to injured reserve Monday, per PuckPedia.
Zuccarello isn't expected back in the lineup for the foreseeable future, as the Wild said Tuesday that the veteran forward is set to miss at least 7-8 weeks due to his lower-body injury. While the 38-year-old is sidelined, Vladimir Tarasenko figures to fill a top-six role, and Matt Boldy will probably see his average ice time increase for the third consecutive season as a result of Zuccarello's absence.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Set for long-term absence
Rotowire
Zuccarello is slated to miss 7-8 weeks, at minimum, due to his lower-body injury, the Wild announced Tuesday.
Zuccarello will almost certainly start the 2025-26 season on long-term injured reserve given his recovery timeline. With the veteran winger on the shelf, Liam Ohgren could be in the mix for a top-six role, though Marcus Johansson should also be in the mix. Zuccarello has played in fewer than 70 regular-season games in each of the previous two campaigns, but he still managed to exceed the 50-point threshold on both occasions.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: No timetable to return
Rotowire
Head coach John Hynes said Sunday that Zuccarello (back) doesn't yet have a timetable to return, Dylan Loucks of The Hockey News reports.
Zuccarello has been dealing with a back injury since mid-September that was already expected to sideline him for the start of the regular season, and Hynes reiterated Sunday that the 38-year-old will be "out for a while." While it's not yet clear when Zuccarello will be able to make his season debut, Liam Ohgren is a candidate to handle an increased role for the Wild early in the year.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Battling back injury
Rotowire
Zuccarello's previously undisclosed injury is related to his back, and he'll spend the next 4-5 days off the ice in an attempt to calm it down, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports Wednesday.
General manager Bill Guerin previously suggested that Zuccarello probably won't be ready for the start of the season. Although he's 38 years old, Zuccarello is still more than capable of serving in a top-six capacity when healthy. He had 19 goals and 54 points across 69 regular-season outings last year. Liam Ohgren might start the season with a significant role with the Wild if Zuccarello isn't ready for Opening Night.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Slated to miss time
Rotowire
General manager Bill Guerin said Thursday that "something has come up" with Zuccarello in recent weeks that will likely force him to miss at least the start of the regular season, Michael Russo of The Athletic reports.
Zuccarello has appeared in at least 69 games in each of the last four seasons, but it appears as though he'll begin the 2025-26 campaign sidelined due to an undisclosed issue. It's not yet clear when the 38-year-old will be able to return to game action, but Guerin said that Liam Ohgren will have an opportunity to step up in Zuccarello's absence.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Puts up power-play assist
Rotowire
Zuccarello notched a power-play assist and four hits in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 5.
Zuccarello has three points over five playoff outings, including a helper in each of the last two games. The winger has added eight shots on net, nine hits and a minus-2 rating. Zuccarello continues to play on the second line and first power-play unit, giving him enough premium minutes to be an important scorer for the Wild.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Scores in Game 2 win
Rotowire
Zuccarello scored a goal and added two hits in Tuesday's 5-2 win over the Golden Knights in Game 2.
Zuccarello's tally at 17:15 of the first period was ultimately the game-winner. The winger's offense has bounced back in April -- he has 10 points over his last nine games between the regular season and playoffs. He put up a 54-point regular season while adding 151 shots on net, 48 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating over 69 appearances. While that's a third straight year of decline in production, the 37-year-old remains an effective playmaker in a top-six role and on the first power-play unit.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Contributes two helpers
Rotowire
Zuccarello notched two assists, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime win over the Ducks.
Zuccarello had a hand in goals by Marcus Johansson and Joel Eriksson Ek during regulation. It's been a resurgent April for Zuccarello, who has two goals and seven assists over seven games this month. He concludes the regular season with 19 goals, 35 assists, 151 shots on net, 48 blocked shots and an even plus-minus rating across 69 appearances. Look for Zuccarello to play on the second line and the first power-play unit to begin the playoffs, though he could be reunited with Kirill Kaprizov at some point if the Wild start to lag behind the Golden Knights in the first round.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Completes comeback in overtime
Rotowire
Zuccarello scored the game-winning goal, fired four shots on net and added two PIM in Saturday's 3-2 overtime win over the Canucks.
Zuccarello completed the Wild's comeback with his tally at 2:47 of the extra session. It's a big win for the Wild, as the team moved ahead of the Blues by a point for the first wild-card spot, though neither team is safe from being caught by the Flames. Zuccarello has picked up two goals and five assists over his last six outings. He has compiled 19 goals, 52 points, 149 shots on net, 46 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating through 68 appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Distributes three assists
Rotowire
Zuccarello provided three assists and fired four shots on goal in Wednesday's 8-7 overtime win over the Sharks.
Zuccarello assisted on power-play goals by Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek before setting up Kaprizov a second time on the game-winner in overtime. The 37-year-old Zuccarello has great chemistry with Kaprizov, so getting the star winger back in the lineup bodes well for both players' production late in the season. Zuccarello had been limited to 12 points in 26 outings since the start of February. Overall, he has 51 points (16 on the power play), 144 shots on net, 44 blocked shots and a minus-2 rating over 66 appearances. He'll likely settle into a playmaking role on the top line and first power-play unit to close out the regular season.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Nets lone goal in loss
Rotowire
Zuccarello scored a goal on three shots and blocked two shots in Friday's 3-1 loss to the Islanders.
Zuccarello snapped a six-game goal drought with his tally early in the second period. However, the Islanders scored twice in the next 2:20 and never looked back, leaving the Wild with another loss. Zuccarello has six points over his last 10 outings, which is far from his peak performance. He's up to 18 goals, 47 points, 138 shots on net, 43 blocked shots and a minus-1 rating across 64 appearances this season.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Registers helper Tuesday
Rotowire
Zuccarello logged an assist and went minus-2 in Tuesday's 5-1 loss to the Golden Knights.
Zuccarello has three goals and two assists over his last eight outings. The Wild's offense has managed just 17 goals in that span, so points are hard to come by, even for a top-line winger. Zuccarello has 45 points, 130 shots on net and a plus-1 rating over 59 appearances this season. While injuries, both his own and the lower-body issue that has kept Kirill Kaprizov (lower body) sidelined for the better part of two months, have taken a toll on Zuccarello's scoring output, it's also possible part of his decline is due to age, as he has played the full season at 37 years old.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Just four points in eight games
Rotowire
Zuccarello had a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win over Buffalo on Saturday.
Zuccarello made it 3-0 in the second period with a snap shot in the slot. He has just four points (three goals, one assist) in his last eight games, but he does have 23 shots. Zuccarello is now 37 and has 44 points in 57 appearances (0.77 points per game) this season. Over three previous campaigns, he delivered at a 0.96 points-per-game pace. His offense should pick up slightly, but his age-related decline may have started.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Nets power-play goal
Rotowire
Zuccarello scored a power-play goal and added two hits in Monday's 3-1 win over the Kings.
Zuccarello's tally at 15:22 of the third period was the game-winner. The winger has three goals and two assists over eight outings in March, though that's an improvement after he was limited to one goal in eight games in February. The 37-year-old is currently playing on the second line and first power-play unit. For the season, he has 16 goals, 42 points, 120 shots on net, 35 blocked shots and a plus-2 rating over 55 appearances.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Fifth point in last six games
Rotowire
Zuccarello scored a goal Tuesday, and also tallied in the shootout, in a 2-1 SO victory over the Avalanche.
Zuccarello put the Wild up 1-0 at the midpoint of the second period. He took a crisp pass from Marco Rossi and wired a quick wrister from in front. It was his fifth point, including three goals, in his last six games. Zuccarello, who is 37, hasn't really shown any effects of age, and he's put up 41 points (15 goals, 26 assists) in 52 games so far. There has been a decline in his power-play production, though. Zuke has just 11 PPP in 2024-25 after three consecutive seasons with at least 28 PPP.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: One of each Tuesday
Rotowire
Zuccarello scored a goal on two shots, added a power-play assist and went plus-2 in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Kraken.
A slight dip in ice time has served Zuccarello well since he linked up with Frederick Gaudreau and Marcus Johansson on the second line. Over his last three contests, Zuccarello has four points and a plus-4 rating. The 37-year-old winger is up to 40 points, 102 shots on net and a plus-6 rating through 49 appearances. It may not be the high-flying style that Zuccarello can play alongside Kirill Kaprizov (lower body), but the current situation is a fine alternative as long as Zuccarello can continue to produce offense.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Tallies assist in win
Rotowire
Zuccarello notched an assist in Sunday's 1-0 win against Boston.
Zuccarello provided a secondary helper on Frederick Gaudreau's game-winning tally in the second period. Overall, the 37-year-old Zuccarello has 25 assists, 38 points and 100 shots on net in 48 games this season. The 15-year NHL veteran has points in back-to-back games for the first time since mid-January. Although he is off the pace to match his season total of 63 points from a year ago, Zuccarello is well within striking distance of hitting the 50-point mark for the fourth year in a row. Zuccarello has decent value in all fantasy formats and will receive added opportunities in the absence of Joel Eriksson Ek (lower body).
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Ends drought with goal
Rotowire
Zuccarello scored a goal in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Avalanche.
Zuccarello snapped an eight-game point drought with the opening goal of this contest. It's an unusual quiet stretch for the top-six winger. For the season, he's at 37 points, 100 shots on net and a plus-3 rating through 47 appearances. Zuccarello was on the second line Friday, and it appears to have helped reignite his offense.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Rough stretch continues
Rotowire
Zuccarello was held pointless and recorded a single shot on goal in Thursday's 6-1 loss to Utah.
It's been a tough stretch for Zuccarello, who has not recorded a point in eight games. The dip in production is alarming considering he's played top-line minutes with the Wild's best remaining forwards, Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi. He's yet to develop the same chemistry with those two as he had with Minnesota's injured star, Kirill Kaprizov (lower body), so until Kaprizov returns to the lineup, it's tough to rely on Zuccarello right now.
... See More... See Less
Wild's Mats Zuccarello: Puts up power-play helper
Rotowire
Zuccarello notched a power-play assist, two shots on goal and two blocked shots in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Maple Leafs.
Zuccarello continues to impress in January with four goals and 10 helpers, including five power-play assists, through 13 games. The 37-year-old winger has had to play a more significant part of the offense during a couple of absences for Kirill Kaprizov (lower body), who is unlikely to play again before late February. Zuccarello is now at 12 goals, 24 helpers, 10 power-play points, 83 shots on net and a plus-6 rating through 38 appearances in a top-line role.
