Kyle Garcia 
With training camp just around the corner, we are previewing each player on the LA Kings roster. Up next: Mats Zuccarello!
Mats Zuccarello
Birthdate: September 1, 1987
Birthplace: Oslo, Norway
Height: 5’8
Weight: 181 lbs
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Draft: Undrafted
2025-26 season
Mats Zuccarello, in his seventh season with the Minnesota Wild, played on a line with Kirill Kaprizov and enjoyed a great campaign at age 38. In 59 games, Zuccarello recorded 54 points (15 G, 39 A), six power-play goals, and 21 power-play points in 18:39 of ice time. He missed the other 23 games with an injury and missed three games in the playoffs as well. In eight playoff games, Zuccarello recorded nine points (2 G, 7 A).
When Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov are on the ice, you may just see a highlight reel goal like this 🤩
NHL x @MassMutual pic.twitter.com/AMfU4EY1eI
— NHL (@NHL) November 8, 2025
According to Natural Stat Trick, in 57 games on a line with Kaprizov at 5v5, the two boasted a 51.4 CF%, 53.8 SCF%, 51.8 HDCF%, 52.9 GF%, and a 37.3 xGF in 700 minutes of ice time. When away from Kaprizov, those numbers dipped a bit, and understandably so, as he was away from the Wild’s best play-making player. Although Zuccarello isn’t the speedy winger he once was, he proved to be an impactful player for Minnesota, especially playing with Kaprizov.
Mats Zuccarello wins it for the @mnwild in @Energizer overtime!! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/s2FsDD15N3
— NHL (@NHL) January 9, 2026
WELCOME BACK, MATS ZUCCARELLO ‼️
The Wild take an early Game 5 lead in Dallas 👏 pic.twitter.com/smklvAfmFM
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 29, 2026
2026-27 outlook
Zuccarello signed a one-year deal for $1,000,000 with potential bonuses for his age-39 season. Considering the season Zuccarello had with Minnesota, this is a steal of a contract for a player playing a middle-six role with potential minutes on the second power-play unit.
Not done yet, but all signs point to Mats Zuccarello signing with the Los Angeles Kings.
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) July 1, 2026
Mats Zuccarello, signed 1x$1M (plus bonuses) by LA, is a veteran playmaking winger who’s slow as hell but can still pass the puck very well, especially on the powerplay. pic.twitter.com/6ioSw55LBf
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2026
Zuccarello won’t be playing with Kaprizov this year, and won’t play with Artemi Panarin on the Kings, so I am curious to see how his point production fluctuates from last year to this year while not playing with a skilled, play-making winger. The Kings are projected to have one of, if not the oldest, roster in the league, and Zuccarello will be a part of it. If he puts up 30-40 points, that will be a $1,000,000 well spent by the Kings.
Featured image credit: Jerome Miron/Getty Images
You think a guy who played on the first PP unit in Minnesota and had more PP points than anybody on our team can’t make our first PP unit? 30 points for Zuccarello would be an absolute failure of a season. I don’t see that happening, but claiming that would be money well spent is absurd. We need production, not a cost/benefit analysis.
You make valid points, but I don’t see Zuccarello playing on PP1 over Panarin, Kempe, Fiala, Byfield (Kings need a center on PP1), and Clarke. Putting him on PP2 adds more depth to that unit, but that’s just my thinking. We’ll see what Laviolette decides to do during training camp.