2013 Hockey Arbitration Competition of Canada Mats Zuccarello v New York Rangers Made in Representation of Mats Zuccarello Submission on Behalf of Team 30

I. Introduction This brief will examine the past performance of Mats Zuccarello, also referred to as “Mr.

Zuccarello” or “the player”, of the New York Rangers, also referred to as “the team” or the

“Rangers”, for the purposes of salary arbitration. Mr. Zuccarello signed a 2 year entry level

contract in 2010, his age on September 15th of that year having been 23. Mr. Zuccarello is

currently a Group II restricted free agent, and having completed his required 2 years of

professional experience is eligible for salary arbitration as per Article 12 of the Collective

Bargaining Agreement (“CBA”) of the NHL.

II. Overall Performance of the Player

A) Career Performance Table 1. Mats Zuccarello Career Statistics12

YEAR LEAGUE GP G A P P/GP P/M PIM PPG SHG GWG S HITS/GP BkS/GP GvA/GP TkA/GP TOI 2008-2009 SEL 35 12 28 40 1.14 10 38 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 2009-2010 SEL 55 23 41 64 1.16 6 62 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 2010-2011 AHL 36 13 16 29 0.81 2 16 3 0 2 107 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A NHL 42 6 17 23 0.55 3 4 0 0 2 74 1.33 0.45 0.14 0.38 14.17 2011-2012 AHL 37 12 24 36 0.97 5 22 5 0 1 92 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A NHL 10 2 1 3 0.30 0 6 1 0 1 10 0.80 0.30 0.20 0.20 10.03 2012-2013 KHL 44 11 17 28 0.64 5 30 3 0 1 96 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A NHL 15 3 5 8 0.53 10 8 0 0 0 27 1.80 1.00 0.33 0.40 16.42 NHL CAREER 67 11 23 34 0.51 13 18 1 0 3 111 1.36 0.55 0.19 0.36 14.06 Throughout Mr. Zuccarello’s career, regardless of the league which he plays in, he has been a

consistent producing offensive player. Mr. Zuccarello began his professional hockey career

in the Swedish Elite League (“SEL”), at the age of 21 to great success. He was over a point per

game player in both seasons that he played, and in his second year he led the league in scoring.3

After that season, Mr. Zuccarello made the trip to North America and joined the Rangers

organization. His offensive success continued even with the transition to North American

1 http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475692#&navid=nhl-search 2 http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475692&season=20122013&view=log 3 http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/top_league.php?lid=sel1998&sid=2010&leaguenm=SEL hockey, possessing a 0.51 point per game average during the games he has played at the NHL level and a 0.89 point per game average at the AHL level.

Mr. Zuccarello has been equally effective on the defensive side of things. Despite having played

5 years of professional hockey in 3 different leagues, he has yet to be a minus player. In his time in the NHL, he has been a solid hitter who has had a microscopic number of giveaways, averaging only 0.19 per game. Being an offensive player, Mr. Zuccarello has often been beginning a high proportion of his shifts in the offensive zone, with an offensive start rate of

67.1, 52.6 and 64.2 in his 3 NHL seasons.4 Despite his generally offensive usage he has been exceptional defensively, consistently controlling possession of the puck (Corsi Relative of 17.8,

11.5 and 21.7 during his three NHL seasons)5 despite playing against a generally high level of competition in terms of the players he has been on the ice against (Corsi Relative Quality of

Competition of 0.415, -0.680 and 1.073).6

B) 2012 – 2013 Regular Season Performance Mr. Zuccarello’s platform season saw him produce typically strong offensive numbers. The player took advantage of his time in Russia, scoring 28 points in 44 games for a 0.64 point per game average. This stellar offensive play continued upon his return to the Rangers, where he picked up 8 points in only 15 games played, for a 0.53 point per game average. Further, 4 out of the 5 assists the player recorded were primary assists, indicating a closer nexus with the scoring play.7 On the defensive side of things Mr. Zuccarello showed that he is an effective defensive player, logging career highs in hits per game, blocked shots per game and takeaways per game and registering an impressive plus 10 rating in only 15 games.

4http://www.behindthenet.ca/nhl_statistics.php?c=0+1+3+5+4+6+7+8+13+14+29+30+32+33+34+45+46+63+67&d s=1&f3=MATSZUCCARELLO&f1=2012_s+2012_p+2011_s+2010_s+2010_p 5 Ibid 6 Ibid 7 http://www.extraskater.com/player/866/mats-zuccarello III. Number of Games Played and Injury History Mr. Zuccarello has spent his entire NHL career with the New York Rangers accumulating 67

NHL games. He was signed by the Rangers in the summer of 2010 after being heavily courted by other teams due to his success in the SEL and the Olympics.89 Since being signed, the player has accumulated experience not only in the NHL but also the AHL and KHL.

In 2010 – 2011, his first season with the club, he did not sustain any major injuries and played a total of 78 professional games.10

The 2011 – 2012 was not as fortunate to Mr. Zuccarello injury-wise. He first missed almost two months due to an ankle injury while playing in the AHL.11 This injury limited him to 37 games in the AHL during this season.12 After healing from that injury and being called up by the

Rangers, he fractured his left wrist after blocking a against the on March

23rd, 2012 and this injury ended his season. This injury caused him to only play 10 games for the

Rangers during this season.13

The 2012 – 2013 season saw Mr. Zuccarello play the season in the KHL before signing with the

Rangers after his Russian club’s elimination from the playoffs.14 He suffered no major injuries during this season.15

IV. Length of Service The Rangers signed Mr. Zuccarello in 2008 as an undrafted free agent. 16 Despite the fact that

Mr. Zuccarello signed an entry level deal, he was far from a rookie in the typical sense. At this

8 http://capgeek.com/player/1777 9 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=318309 10 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=7214 11 http://articles.courant.com/2012-01-25/sports/hc-mats-zuccarello-close-to-returning-20120125_1_mats- zuccarello-whale-coach-ken-gernander 12 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/teams/players/bio/?id=7214 13 Ibid. 14 http://snyrangersblog.com/2013-14/2013-14-players/mats-zuccarello/news-rangers-officially-sign-mats- zuccarello/ 15 Ibid. 16 http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=318309 point in time, the player had already accumulated two professional seasons in Sweden’s highest league. After joining the Rangers Mr. Zuccarello completed 2 years of professional experience by the definitions of Article 12 of the NHL collective bargaining agreement. After the 2011 –

2012 season, the player took advantage of the fact that he was without a contract and signed with a KHL team, which was well within his rights to do. Mr. Zuccarello then completed the year with his KHL team before rejoining the Rangers for the stretch drive and playoffs, participating in enough games to accrue another year of professional experience.

V. Overall Contribution to the Club Mr. Zuccarello was a member of the 2012 – 2013 Rangers team that finished with a 26 – 18 -4 record and qualified for the playoffs for the third straight year.17 Mr. Zuccarello clearly had a positive effect on the team’s performance as the team, as they went 10 – 4 – 1 in the games that he played in, a winning percentage of 0.70, as opposed to a record of 16 – 14 – 3in the games which he did not play, a winning percentage of 0.53.18 The team also on average scored more goals, allowed fewer goals and had a higher winning percentage during the games which Mr.

Zuccarello was in the lineup as compared to those which he was not. 19 It is clear that the

Rangers were a better team when Mr. Zuccarello was in the lineup.

VI. Special Qualities of Leadership or Public Appeal Mr. Zuccarello brings a unique type of public appeal to his teams, having not followed a traditional route to the NHL. Mr. Zuccarello brings with him a history of international experience and appeal, having had success playing in Norway, Sweden and Russia professionally. His success in Sweden was further recognized when he was named most valuable player in the SEL in the 2009 – 2010 season by winning the Guldhjälmen, which is a higher honour as it is voted

17 http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm?season=20122013&type=con#&navid=nav-stn-conf 18 http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475692&season=20122013&view=log 19 Ibid. on by the players themselves.20 He has also represented his country at the international stage multiple times, having participated in 2 world junior tournaments, 3 world championships along with his breakout performance at the 2010 Winter Olympics.21 His presence on the Rangers give them the ability to appeal to fans in multiple countries and cultures, which is a benefit in a league with a large number of who are North American born and raised.

VII. Comparable Players

Matt Beleskey:

The drafted Mr. Beleskey, a 6 foot, 200 pound left-winger in 2006 and resigned him to a two-year $2.7 million contract this off-season22. Mr. Beleskey is a suitable comparable for the Player at Hand in since he is less than a year younger than Mr. Zuccarello and they became eligible for salary arbitration in the most recent off-season.

Mr. Beleskey has produced 0.27 points per game in his career. In his platform season

(2012-2013), his production rose marginally to 0.31 points per game.23 Mr. Beleskey’s average offensive production is well below what Mr. Zuccarello has managed thus far in his career.

Table 2. Matt Beleskey Career NHL Statistics:

GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG S S%

210 26 30 56 -21 203 2 0 4 321 .081

When we compare Mr. Zuccarello to Mr. Beleskey it is clear that Mr. Beleskey has more NHL experience (210 regular season games played versus 68) and length of service and NHL experience are important to look at when considering a player’s appropriate value. It should be

20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guldhj%C3%A4lmen 21 http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475692#&navid=nhl-search 22 http://www.capgeek.com/player/335 23 http://ducks.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473492 noted however, that Mr. Zuccarello has 19 games of playoff experience including 11 points24

(compared to Beleskey’s 13 playoff games and 4 points25). He also has played three seasons in some of the top European leagues and achieved offensive stardom.

Mr. Beleskey and Mr. Zuccarello tend to be used in similar situations, in the sense that neither is used on the -kill and both get some power play time. However, Mr. Zuccarello seems to have been relied on more heavily playing 16 minutes and 25 seconds per game26 compared to

Mr. Beleskey’s 12 minutes per game in their platform years.27

At 6 feet and 200 hundred pounds Mr. Beleskey does bring more of a physical presence to the game than Mr. Zuccarello, among the smallest players in the NHL. However, Mr. Beleskey is not an overpowering player, and the players’ relative size should not weaken the comparison.

Ultimately Mr. Beleskey is the more experienced player, but Mr. Zuccarello has shown a higher level of skill and been relied on more when he has been in the lineup.

T.J Galiardi

The drafted Mr. Galiardi, a 6 foot 2, 195 pound left-winger in the 2007 entry draft. Slightly younger than Mr. Zuccarello, Mr. Galiardi entered the past off-season eligible for salary arbitration following his 5th professional season. His rights were traded from

San Jose to and he signed a one-year contract with Calgary for $1.25 million.28

24 http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8475692&view=stats 25 http://ducks.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473492 26http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?season=20122013&gameType=2&team=NYR&position=S&country=&st atus=&viewName=summary# 27http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?season=20122013&gameType=2&team=ANA&position=S&country=&st atus=&viewName=summary# 28 http://www.capgeek.com/player/570

Table 3. T.J Galiardi Career NHL Statistics

GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG S S%

221 39 48 87 -11 115 3 2 6 377 10.3

Mr. Galiardi has more NHL experience than Mr. Zuccarello having played 221 NHL games over five seasons.29 He has remained healthy for the most part, avoiding serious injuries. While he is not an offensive standout, he has solidified a role as a third line forward with good skill. He is neither a mainstay on the penalty kill or the power play, but is used selectively in both situations.

His average time on ice in his platform year was 13 minutes and 52 seconds.30

Mr. Galiardi has produced 0.39 points per game over his career and this did not change during his platform year.31 While this is a respectable total, we did not see any significant improvement in his production in his platform year, and Mr. Zuccarello certainly brings more to the table offensively.

Mr. Galiardi’s value relative to Mr. Zuccarello is improved to an extent by his ability to contribute while short-handed and with his size. Nevertheless, Mr. Galiardi is at best average defensively considering his plus minus rating relative to his teammates and his number of total number of hits.32

It is our position, that overall, Mr. Zuccarello is a more effective winger in the NHL than Mr.

Galiardi, playing on average more minutes, producing more offense, and delivering in the playoffs.

29 http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8474001 30http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?gameType=2&position=S&season=20122013&sort=points&status=A&te am=COL&viewName=summary 31 http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8474001 32http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?gameType=2&position=S&season=20122013&sort=gamesPlayed&status =A&team=COL&viewName=rtssPlayerStats Jamie McGinn

The drafted Mr. McGinn, a 6 foot 1, 210 pound left-winger in the 2006 entry draft. Mr. McGinn was also eligible for salary arbitration in the 2012 off-season. He ultimately avoided arbitration and signed a two-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche paying him

$1.75 million per season.33

Table 4. Jamie McGinn Career NHL Statistics:

GP G A P +/- PIM PPG SHG GWG S S%

268 46 38 84 -31 136 10 0 7 453 10.2

Mr. McGinn, much like our other comparable players, has played more NHL games than Mr.

Zuccarello and has proven to be a consistent performer34 Mr. Zuccarello is a unique case, in that he developed his game in Europe prior to getting a chance in the NHL. It should be noted that despite Mr. McGinn’s greater experience, when given a chance to participate in the playoffs, Mr.

McGinn has only managed 1 assist over 22 games35, compared to Mr. Zucarrello’s 11 points in

19 playoff games. Mr. McGinn’s career offensive output is 0.31 points per game. Although this went up in his platform year to 0.47 points per game he still has yet to reach Mr. Zucarrello’s level offensively. We concede that Mr. McGinn is a more physical player; recording close to 2 hits per game in his contract year and being used in a penalty-killing role as well as on the power play.36 His greater experience and ability to play in all situations is what sets him apart from Mr.

Zuccarello. Still, after taking into account Mr. Zuccarello’s greater offensive ability and his career path we contend that his salary should be quite close to that of Mr. McGinn.

33 http://www.capgeek.com/player/141 34 http://avalanche.nhl.com/club/player.htm?id=8473465 35 Ibid. 36http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?gameType=2&position=S&season=20122013&sort=gamesPlayed&status =A&team=COL&viewName=rtssPlayerStats