VANCOUVER, British Columbia — As much as Jason Zucker has been at the epicenter of trade rumors this offseason, with many thinking the saga would hit a breaking point during the NHL draft, the first round came and went Friday night and he’s still on the Wild roster.
As far as general manager Paul Fenton is concerned, that says everything that needs to be said about that situation.
“He’s a part of our team,” Fenton said. “I don’t plan on getting rid of Jason unless the right thing (comes) to me. That’s how it should be stated.”
Although that doesn’t necessarily mean Fenton won’t trade Zucker at some point, it’s clearly going to have to be a no-brainer for him to pull this trigger.
“I listen to offers and I make offers just like everybody else does,” Fenton said. “It doesn’t mean that he’s pigeon-holed into something. I love Jason as a player and he’ll be a great fit for us when he comes back.”
The only trade Fenton even thought about making after selecting dynamic left winger Matt Boldy with the No. 12 pick was moving back into the the first round to select another top prospect.
“I looked into trying to get another player that we had rated highly,” Fenton said. “Now we go into tomorrow pick at No. 42. There’s going to be a lot of really good players available at No. 42. And that’s the nice part for us.”
It wasn’t just the Wild that opted against executing a blockbuster trade at Rogers Arena. It was a nearly silent night on the trade front with only the Philadelphia Flyers moving back a few spots in a ho-hum deal with the Arizona Coyotes.
“There’s a lot of bantering,” Fenton said, adding that nothing has presented itself to him yet. “Some teams may have some more things going than I do. That doesn’t mean that we’re not exploring it.”
HOME OPENERS REVEALED
While the full schedule will be revealed next week, the NHL announced home openers for each team Friday afternoon.
NHL announces home openers for 2019-20 regular season. https://t.co/oxFKjU74pO #NHLFaceOff pic.twitter.com/XJC0JRiQk1
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 21, 2019
For the Wild, that means least three games are set in stone heading into next season, starting with their season opener at the Nashville Predators on Oct. 3.
Besides that, the Wild also learned they will play at the Winnipeg Jets on Oct. 10 before their home opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Oct. 12.
TOP-TIER TALENT
As expected, Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko went back-to-back to kick off the draft.
Hughes, 18, is the most highly regarded American prospect in recent memory. He averaged more than two points per game last season with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, finishing with 34 goals and 78 assists in 50 games.
Kakko, 18, scored 22 goals last season for Turun Palloseura, commonly known as TPS, in the Finnish Elite League. That was the most every by a draft-eligible prospect in league history.
https://www.twincities.com/2019/06/22/wild-gm-paul-fenton-wont-trade-jason-zucker-unless-the-price-is-right/
2019-06-22 08:53:00Z
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