Jason Zucker's Lost Season

Zucker was on top of the world, setting a high bar for himself in the coming year, where he would have the chance to earn a full-time role.

Things have not gone according to plan, as the Wild left-winger has suffered setback after setback this season, which was announced to be mercifully ending today, as Zucker re-aggravated his injured knee.

What went wrong?

And then, before the Olympic Break, Zucker injured his knee. It wasn't expected to be a major injury. But, as has been the case for his entire season, Zucker couldn't catch a break, and he re-injured his knee. And just like that, his miserable season is over.

So, where does he go from here?

What definitely works out in Zucker's favor, in terms of finding a place with this organization long-term, is that Zucker has a skill-set unique among the Wild's young forwards. Other than maybe Erik Haula, who is not expected to be a top-6 forward in the NHL, none of the young forwards in the system can boast the speed that Zucker possesses. And while 5 points in 21 games looks very underwhelming, Zucker was better at creating offense than you think. In 5-on-5 situations, only Zach Parise (with 9.5 shots per 60 minutes) shot with greater frequency than Zucker (who had 9.2 S/60). Despite limited ice time and opportunity, Zucker was still better at shooting the puck than just about any other Wild player.