Sabres sign Jason Zucker to two-year contract extension

The Buffalo Sabres have signed left winger Jason Zucker to a two-year extension worth $4.75 million per season, reports TSN’s Darren Dreger.

Sidelined since late February due to a lower-body injury, Zucker has made 54 appearances with the Sabres this season in which he has posted 18 goals and 26 assists to sit fifth in team scoring with 44 points, coupled with 53 penalty minutes and a plus-four rating.

Originally chosen 59th overall by the Minnesota Wild in the 2010 NHL Draft, Zucker has seen 751 career contests counting stops with the Wild, Pittsburgh Penguins, the former Arizona Coyotes, Nashville Predators, and Sabres in which he has registered 214 goals with 200 assists for 414 points.

A five-time 20-plus goal scorer, Zucker reached a career-high 64 points with the Wild in 2017-18 as part of a 33-goal, 31-assist campaign. Zucker has also added nine goals and nine assists for 18 points through 52 appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Despite playing just two seasons in the minors, the 2012-13 season saw Zucker named to the AHL All-Rookie Team after he put up 50 points in 55 games with the Houston Aeros.

The 33-year-old native of Newport Beach, Calif., has also seen success in international competition, including gold and bronze medal wins at the World Juniors as well as back-to-back first-place finishes with Team USA at the 2009 and 2010 IIHF Under-18 World Championships.

Zucker is the second player to re-sign with the Sabres this week following a Wednesday announcement that the club inked left winger Jordan Greenway to a two-year extension worth $4 million per season, according to PuckPedia. Through 27 appearances with the Sabres this season, Greenway has recorded three goals and five assists for eight points.

For the Sabres, the club sits 24-31-6 on the season and last place in the Eastern Conference with 54 points. The Sabres have not qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011, the longest drought in NHL history.