In one of the worst kept secrets Mats Zuccarello has signed with the Wild, a five year $30M deal.
Zuccarello does not check the youth or right handed shooter boxes, however he does check the most important boxes of experienced leader, no nonsense, respect in the room, producer on the ice boxes.
I have been a big fan of Zuccarello for a very long time, and deep down as much as I do not like the NY Rangers, I believe that had Zuccarello not been injured during the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs, there would be a different team's players etched into the Stanley Cup.
The very nature of the injury and what Mats went through tells us a lot about the player the Wild just added. The injury occurred in the Rangers home win over Pittsburgh, as a result of taking a slap shot to the helmet. Zuccarello was able to skate off the ice under his own power, which is remarkable considering he had a brain contusion and a fractured skull.
Zuccarello was rushed to the hospital unable to speak with the loss of feeling in the right side of his face. He regained his speech four days later.
Mats' teammates were brought to tears when they saw their mate in the hospital. Zuccarello was much more than just one of the guys, he is a leader both on and off the ice and the inspirational recover and return to the ice says much about the newest Minnesota Wild forward.
Welcome to the Stat of Hockey Mats Zuccarello!!!
Wild also signed Ryan Hartman as expected. The
24 year old right winger scored 12 goals and added 14 assists splitting last season between Nashville and Philadelphia.
Minnesota Wild Blogger • 
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