Jason Zucker was traded to the Nashville Predators by the Arizona Coyotes on Friday for a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Zucker signed a one-year contract with the Coyotes on July 1, 2023, and can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
The 32-year-old forward has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 51 games this season. The Coyotes had held Zucker out of their past two games, including a 5-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Thursday, for trade-related purposes.
"I felt that he's very competitive," Predators general manager Barry Trotz said of Zucker. "Got a good hockey IQ. He's driven. He brings a lot of life, and he can play any kind of game that you want. If it's a more skilled game, he's got lots of skill to play that game. If it gets dirty and nasty into the trenches, he can do that as well. That fits right into our game."
Selected by Minnesota in the second round (No. 59) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Zucker has 363 points (191 goals, 172 assists) in 679 regular-season games for the Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins and Coyotes. He has 15 points (eight goals, seven assists) in 46 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
The trade comes one day after the Predators acquired forward Anthony Beauvillier from the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft.
"He's a good player," said Trotz, who coached Beauvillier for four seasons when he was with the Islanders from 2018-22. "He's had a little bit of a difficult year, but he's a good player and he's going to help us."
Nashville (36-25-3), which has points in 10 straight games (9-0-1), next plays the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday (12:30 p.m. ET; BSSO, BSOH). The Predators hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference, two points ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights.
"We've got a couple superstars. There's no question," Trotz said. "And we've got a goalie (Juuse Saros) that can steal a game. But our sum of our parts when they're connected and they're playing with a relentless mindset and the heaviness that you need in the playoffs, I can't guarantee you anything, but I can guarantee you we'll be hard to play against."
Nashville signed forward Mark Jankowski (two years, $1.6 million) and defenseman Dante Fabbro (one year, $2.5 million) on Friday.
Jankowski has three points (two goals, one assist) in 14 games this season. The 29-year-old has 95 points (51 goals, 44 assists) in 336 regular-season games for the Predators, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, and could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Fabbro has 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in 51 games this season. The 25-year-old has 71 points (15 goals, 56 assists) in 304 regular season games, and could have become a restricted free agent after the season.
NHL.com independent correspondent Robby Stanley contributed to this report
