Team 10
Mats Zuccarello
Club Side
I) Introduction
This brief will analyze the relative performance of Mats Zuccarello (“Mr. Zuccarello”) of the New York Rangers (the “Rangers” or the “Club”) in support of the Club’s upcoming arbitration hearing. This brief will outline the reasons why the Club is entitled to retain Mr.
Zuccarello for less than the $1.15 million salary midpoint.
Mr. Zuccarello is a 26-year-old Norwegian-born winger who signed with the Rangers as a free agent in 2010. He has played 68 NHL games, all with the Rangers. After signing with the
Rangers, he played 36 games with Connecticut of the AHL, prior to which time he played with
MODO of the Swedish Elite League. Mr. Zuccarello was also an Olympian in 2010, and has three times represented Norway at the World Hockey Championships.1
As outline in section 12.9(g) of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”), the following evidence may be introduce in support of an arbitration award: overall statistical performance of the Player in previous seasons (both offensive and defensive statistics); the number of games played by the Player; the length of service of the Player (in the league and/or with the club); the overall contribution of the Player to the competitive success or failure of the
Club in the preceding season; any special qualities of leadership or public appeal; the overall performance and salary of players who are alleged to be comparable to the Player whose salary is in dispute.2 This brief will address each of these points individually.
1 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=7214 2 NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, 2012, s. 12.1(a)-(c), available online:
II) Mr. Zuccarello’s Overall Performance
A) Career Performance
Mr. Zuccarello is an unproven NHL player. At the time of this arbitration, Mr. Zuccarello has played only 68 career NHL games.
Table 1: Mats Zuccarello career statistics.3
While Mr. Zuccarello’s relative point production over this span has been impressive, his inability to become a full-time member of the Rangers’ NHL roster since signing in 2010 is telling. While Mr. Zuccarello is talented, at 5’7”, he is woefully undersized, and his lack of NHL experience is indicative of a concern that he would be unable to sustain his performance at the highest level of competition. His statistics support this finding, as he has experienced a considerable drop off in offensive performance between the NHL and other levels of competition, including the American Hockey League, the Swedish Elite League, and the Kontinental Hockey
3 http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475692 League (KHL). At those levels, Mr. Zuccarello was close to a point-per-game player, while his
NHL record has proved to halve this production.4
B) 2012/2013 Regular Season Performance
When in the Rangers’ lineup, Mr. Zuccarello played well, producing three (3) goals and five (5) assists for a total of eight (8) points in 2012/2013. Signing only late in the season,
Zuccarello missed a large portion of the season while playing in the KHL.5 Despite a strong point-per-game performance (0.53), his average ice time average ice time was only 14th highest amongst Rangers skaters.6 In addition, while the Rangers were generally better off when
Zuccarello was on the ice (as indicated in by the Corsi statistic), he played almost exclusively against lesser relative competition, ranking 17th on the Rangers in Corsi Quality of Competition7.
Thus, despite relatively strong offensive production, Mr. Zuccarello remained a peripheral player in the Rangers’ overall offensive scheme. In the 2012/2013 regular season, Mr. Zuccarello demonstrated in a very limited statistical spread that he is capable of being a consistent secondary scoring threat, warranting only third line minutes.
C) 2012/2013 Playoff Performance
Statistically, Mr. Zuccarello had a strong playoffs, scoring (1) goal and (7) assists, for eight (8) points, good for second amongst Rangers’ players.
Table 2: Mats Zuccarello’s 2012/2013 playoff stats.8
4 Ibid. 5 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=7214 6 http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20132NYRSASALL&sort=avgTOIPerGame&viewName=summary 7 The Relative Corsi Quality of Competition is used to compare the quality of competition when the player is on the ice. 8 http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20133NYRSASALL&sort=points&viewName=summary
However, despite this production, Zuccarello was a minus player, recording a negative two (-2) rating, ranking a disappointing 21st on the Rangers for the playoffs. Mr. Zuccarello also failed to earn any increased ice-time relative to the regular season, averaging only 16:21 minutes per game, 13th overall amongst Rangers’ skaters.9 Thus, while Mr. Zuccarello performed well offensively, he struggled defensively in the increased pressure of the playoffs.
III) Number of Games Played and Injury History
As noted above, Mr. Zuccarello has only 68 career NHL games. In 2011/2012, Mr.
Zuccarello missed eight (8) regular season games and the entire playoffs (20 games) with a broken left wrist. While not especially injury prone, he has yet to have been put through the rigors of a full NHL season.
IV) Length of Service
As noted throughout, Mr. Zuccarello has played on 68 career NHL games and has only recently become a fixture in the Rangers lineup. Despite signing his initial NHL contract in 2010,
Mr. Zuccarello has amassed only limited game experience. These factors suggest that a lower salary award is warranted.
V) Overall Contribution to the Club
9 Ibid. As Mr. Zuccarello has only recently managed to make the Rangers’ roster on a full-time basis, his measurable contribution to the overall success of the Club is limited. Having played on
15 regular season games in his platform year of 2012/2013, Mr. Zuccarello’s contribution to the
Rangers’ playoff position is unclear. While the Rangers won 9 of the 15 regular season games in which Mr. Zuccarello played, his average ice time would have had him ranked only 14th highest on the Rangers if extended throughout the entire season.10 And while the Rangers were generally better off when Zuccarello was on the ice (as indicated in by the Corsi statistic), he played almost exclusively against lesser relative competition, ranking 17th on the Rangers in Corsi Quality of
Competition.11 Thus, Mr. Zuccarello’s numbers exaggerate his overall importance to the Rangers’ overall success.
VI) Special Qualities or Public Appeal
Having only recently established himself as a full-time player in the Rangers’ lineup, Mr.
Zuccarello’s ability to provide leadership or other intangible qualities to the Club is limited. He is not a Captain or Assistant Captain for the Rangers. Due to his limited exposure, Mr.
Zuccarello is not especially well-known or notorious with the Rangers’ fan base.
VII) Comparable Players
A) Lars Eller
Table 3: Lars Eller career statistics.12
10 http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20132NYRSASALL&sort=avgTOIPerGame&viewName=summary 11http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_statistics.php?ds=30&s=14&f1=2012_s&f2=5v5&f4=C+LW+RW&f5=NYR&c= 0+1+3+5+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67# 12 http://canadiens.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8474189
Lars Eller re-signed as a restricted free agent with the Montreal Canadiens following the
2011/2012 season at an annual rate of $1.325 million. Eller is an example of a player whose salary level is justifiably higher than that warranted by Mr. Zuccarello. At the time of his renegotiation, Eller was coming off a middling offensive season in which he recorded 28 points in 79 games. While his point-per-game output is less than that of Zuccarello, due weight should be accorded to the fact that Eller’s production came across a full season in which Eller missed only three (3) games. Eller also demonstrated steady improvement through his first three (3) seasons as a professional, whereas Mr. Zuccarello has remained statistically stagnant. Eller is also a player of higher pedigree, being drafted 13th overall. He was also younger (23 years old) at the time of his renegotiation.13 This, combined with his pedigree, indicated a high level of potential, and militated towards a higher salary.
B) Mathieu Perrault
Table 4: Mathieu Perrault’s career statistics.14
Mathieu Perrault re-signed with the Washington Capitals (the “Capitals) following the
13 Ibid. 14 http://capitals.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473618 2011/2012 season for an annual salary of $1.05 million. Perrault is the most appropriate comparable player to Mr. Zuccarello, as, like Zuccarello, he is a talented offensive player who has as of yet fulfilled his full NHL potential. At the time of his renegotiation, Perrault had played
120 NHL games and scored at a rate of 0.44 goals per game. Like Zuccarello, Perrault had only recently established himself as a full-time NHLer, splitting time throughout his first three (3) seasons between the Capitals and the AHL. With comparable experience, proven offensive output, and relative usage, Perrault and Zuccarello are readily comparable players.
C) Matt Frattin
Table 5: Matt Frattin’s career statistics.15
Matt Frattin re-signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs following the 2011/2012 season for an annual salary of $925,000. Entering his contract renegotiations, Frattin had played a similar number of NHL games (57), and, like Zuccarello, had shown some offensive promise, recording
0.26 points-per-game.16 While Zuccarello has produced at a higher rate, it is notable that Frattin was two years younger (24) at the time of his renegotiation, and has shown vast offensive upside.
Frattin is also 6’ tall and 205 lbs, possessing a notable size advantage over Zuccarello.17 Frattin’s contract is an example of an appropriate amount awarded to a player who, while possessing offensive potential, has yet to establish himself over the course of a full NHL season.
15 http://mapleleafs.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8474192 16 Ibid. 17 Ibid.
VIII) Conclusion
Despite a strong showing in the 2012/2013 regular season and playoffs, Mats Zuccarello is an unproven player who remains an unknown quantity. With only 68 career NHL games over three seasons, Mr. Zuccarello has only recently established himself as a full-time NHLer. The relative success of his platform year is simply insufficient in determining his NHL potential.
What has been evidenced, however, is his significant drop in production between the NHL and lesser levels of competition, and his extremely limited usage when he has formed part of the
Rangers lineup. This record speaks to the fact that the $1.15 million midpoint is too high. A more appropriate salary range is in line with that of Mathieu Perrault, who, like Zuccarello, is a promising but as of yet unproven offensive talent. For the above reasons, Mr. Zuccarello should be awarded an amount of less than $1.15 million.