Sports

Mats Zuccarello not ‘waiting’ for trade, but prepared for anything

OTTAWA, Ontario — In a moment of candidness, Mats Zuccarello said what most others are thinking: It’s likely he will be traded by the Rangers.

The winger recently went on a hockey podcast with Roy Kvatningen, a respected journalist from his native Norway, and spoke about what it’s like to be in the final year of his contract and the likelihood he is going to be dealt before the Feb. 25 deadline. At 31 years old and finishing a four-year, $18 million deal, Zuccarello understands his situation in relation to the Rangers organization, which is committed to its on-the-fly rebuild.

“A trade appears to be most likely,” Zuccarello said, according to Kvatningen’s translation, sent to The Post and which went along with the audio posted online. “I guess am prepared for it. Basically, I’m just waiting for it to happen. It’s a tough spot to be in, if I’m being honest.”





After that was picked up on the internet with a headline saying Zuccarello was “waiting for a trade,” he attempted to clarify.

A team spokesman talked Thursday to Zuccarello, who is in New York trying to recover from a right-groin injury that has kept him out for eight of the previous 10 games and will keep him out for this two-game road trip, which started Thursday night against the Senators.

Zuccarello’s response was that it “is not what he said,” according to the spokesman, “and not how he feels. He said in the last year of a contract, you have to be prepared for anything because it’s out of your control.”

In the story, Zuccarello also reiterated his fondness for the only NHL franchise for which he has played, while also looking ahead to what might be a different home.





“I’ve always said that I only ever want to play for the New York Rangers,” Zuccarello said, “but I’ve been thinking … I’m getting older and maybe I could use a new spark.”

Zuccarello is not going to be the only Ranger who has to deal with this as the season goes on. The club’s most attractive piece is Kevin Hayes, the 26-year-old center, who is in the midst of a career season while working on a one-year, $5.175 million deal. There seems to be a good chance general manager Jeff Gorton will opt to sign Hayes to a long-term deal rather than trade him.

Chris Kreider, 27, has one more year after this one left on his deal that carries an annual salary-cap hit of $4.625 million, but it would have to be a big return to include him in a trade. Other possible pieces of interest might be a pair of veteran defensemen on one-year deals, Adam McQuaid ($2.75 million) and Freddy Claesson ($700,000).





Muddying the waters is the fact the Rangers are playing quite a bit better than most people expected. First-year head coach David Quinn got his team on a 9-1-1 run that ended Thanksgiving weekend, but it did get the Rangers into playoff position. Now, and later, Quinn is going to have to deal with these types of conversations happening all around his team.

“We’ve been listening to trade rumors since the letter went out last year,” Quinn said, referring to the letter the front office sent to fans Feb. 8. “Our guys have done a phenomenal job just managing this thing day-to-day and [they’re] committed to what we’re doing here. Today, and this year, is no different.”

Zuccarello first came to the Rangers as an undersized, undrafted free agent in 2010, when his last name was still Zuccarello-Aasen. He earned his reputation with terrific vision and competitiveness, but his game has slipped a little in the past year or two. Yet he still could help a team with Stanley Cup aspirations.





“It will be a very sad day, of course,” Zuccarello said of a potential trade. “I’ve been here a long time and know everyone in the organization, so it will be very sad. But I also think that it can be a positive thing, if it happens. You can get a spark from trying something new.”

With a handful of injuries up-front, the Rangers dressed seven defensemen and 11 forwards — but regular defenseman Brendan Smith spent the first 40 minutes of the game playing wing on a line with two recent call-ups, Steven Fogarty and Tim Gettinger.

“I don’t love it, but sometimes that’s our best lineup, we feel,” Quinn said before the Rangers’ 3-0 loss to the Senators. “Our opponent had nothing to do with it. We just feel like these are our 18 best skaters.”

Smith went back to defense for the third period, when Quinn benched Kevin Shattenkirk after his 13:58 of ice time through two periods.

“That’ll be between Kevin and I,” Quinn said of the benching.

The Rangers have four injured forwards not on the trip — Zuccarello (groin, day-to-day), Vlad Namestnikov (in concussion protocol), Pavel Buchnevich (broken thumb, out another 2-4 weeks) and Cody McLeod (fractured hand, out another 3-5 weeks).

Quinn said it’s “on the table” the Rangers might call up a forward from AHL Hartford when this trip continues with a practice in Montreal on Friday, followed by a game there Saturday night.

Rookie Lias Andersson moved out of the middle and started on the wing with Brett Howden and Jesper Fast, before Quinn juggled every combination for the third period.





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