2025 Buffalo Sabres Player Report Card: Jason Zucker

Total Season Stats: 21 G, 32 A, 53 pts, +4 in 73 games

Age: 33

Contract Status: Signed a 1-year, $5 million contract last year, signed a 2-year, $4.75 million AAV extension in March 2025

This season was Jason Zucker’s first in Buffalo, coming in as a free agent and signed to bring some experience to the top six forward corps.

The heavy pricetag was a surprise to many with the pressure on the player to perform, and he came through in a big way for the Sabres. His 53 points this season was his second highest career haul in one campaign, only behind the 64 he had managed with the Wild back in 2017-18.

Over the year Zucker played all over the top three lines, starting on the third line with Ryan McLeod and Jordan Greenway. He was on the top line for some time with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch, which then became Dylan Cozens centering him and Thompson. He ended the season with Peyton Krebs and Alex Tuch on the checking line where his experience has told the most.

He also saw significant minutes on the power play, and though the Sabres were one of the more inept units with the man advantage in the league, the veteran went on to amass a joint team-high of 21 points on the power play from 11 goals and 10 assists, tied with Rasmus Dahlin. His net-front presence was a big factor in him picking up those power play goals.

For those that believe in PDO (Shooting percentage plus save percentage) as a measure in on-ice effectiveness, Zucker was second on the team with 1.015, behind only Ryan McLeod.

Zucker, for being a ‘big’ player doesn’t necessarily play an overtly physical game that shows up on the stat sheets with his 68 hits this season. He was also fifth highest in giveaways with 73, tied with Owen Power. However, he didn’t necessarily make up for it by recording too many takeaways either with just 20, about one every 60 min played.

There are some concerns that he ‘disappeared’ towards the end of the season, but signing him to an extension seems like a low-risk move for at least the 2025-26 season. Zucker managed 73 games this season, General Manager Kevyn Adams is going to need him to stay healthy the next two years and at least match his output for that period.

Grade: B+

Zucker pretty much did what he was signed to do – a savvy, veteran presence on the ice to guide a young team, boosting the power play unit with his netfront presence and chipping in with some key goals. It wasn’t enough to guide the team to the playoffs, but he certainly hasn’t hurt the cause.