Zucker is pissed off about finding out latest trade rumor!

NHL players will keep repeating this: trade chatter is part of the business. However, business has become personal for forward Jason Zucker, who has been caught up in trade rumours for over six months… 

The latest trade rumor, sending him to Pittsburgh in exchange for Penguins’ Phil Kessel, which has been reported by The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and confirmed by more than a half-dozen sources to The Athletic Minnesota and Pittsburgh, has been painfully frustrating. 

It comes just months after it was reported that Zucker was almost flipped to the Calgary Flames at the trade deadline. It feels like GM Paul Fenton is focused on moving Zucker and team insider Michael Russo of The Athletic revealed on Monday that the poor veteran is getting pissed off about the chatter. 

“Zucker has got to be ticked off. This is now twice that Zucker has found out publicly that Fenton had a deal done to trade him only to have it not come to fruition.

“Fenton will have to massage this delicate situation in the coming days with both Zucker and his agent, Eustace King, who also represents defenseman Jared Spurgeon.”

Kessel has reportedly informed the Penguins he is not interested in moving to Minnesota, as he holds power with his no-trade clause, but Zucker remains helpless and now angry. 

We can understand why: Zucker loves Minnesota. As Russo points out, his wife is from here, they have three children, he has entrenched himself so much into the Twin Cities community. 

It is believed that despite the fact that the trade for Kessel fell through for Fenton, he will have to keep trying to move Zucker this summer. Unfortunately for the veteran player, he will need to get used to the chatter… However, Fenton will need to be careful when discussing a trade with Zucker’s agent. The GM will have to deal with King this offseason in an attempt to sign Spurgeon, one of the Wild’s best players, to a contract extension.

Tread carefully. Especially for Zucker’s sake… 

It’ll be interesting to see where Fenton goes from here with Zucker.