Buffalo Sabres winger Jason Zucker hopes his tenure in Western New York isn't cut short by a deadline deal. He's hoping to stay with the club beyond this season.
"I would love it," Zucker said of a potential extension, per The Athletic's Matthew Fairburn. "Right now that's not something that is in my control. For me personally, it's something I would be very interested in. If that time comes we can have that conversation."
Zucker figures to be a popular name on trade bait boards ahead of the March 7 deadline as a pending unrestricted free agent on a team in the Eastern Conference basement.
The 33-year-old is also having one of the best seasons of his career with 15 goals and 16 assists through 43 games. He registered career highs of 33 goals and 31 assists in 2017-18 with the Minnesota Wild.
Zucker netted the Arizona Coyotes a sixth-round pick when he was shipped to the Nashville Predators at last year's deadline, but that was in the midst of a down year. He had tallied just nine goals and 16 assists in 51 games with Arizona. The Sabres could conceivably get a much greater return if they choose to trade him.
"Until they tell me otherwise or I find out otherwise, this is where I am, where I want to be and I'm going to help contribute any way I can to this organization," Zucker said. "That's my mindset and for me, I'll do everything I can for these guys. If (general manager Kevyn Adams) decides to change that direction, that's out of my control. But until that time happens, I'm fully invested here and want to be here."
