The New York Rangers (34-16-5) are probably the NHL's fastest team.
It's a trait they exploit to great effectiveness on a nightly basis and, along with a heavy dose of grit, the skill they rode all the way to the Stanley Cup Finals last season.
There may be no player on the Rangers roster who more fully embodies New York's preferred style of speedy player than top-line right winger, Mats Zuccarello, which may explain why the team is so interested in locking him up long-term - though, to hear TSN's Darren Dreger tell it, a new deal won't come easy.
"You're right, but there's a tough ongoing negotiation with Newport Sports. I mean, they love Mats Zuccarello," Dreger said recently, per NicholsOnHockey.com, in answer to a question as to whether or not Zuccarello was a potential trade piece. "Alain Vigneault, the head coach of the New York Rangers, obviously wants to keep him. We might describe him as an 'own rental,' but even that isn't appropriate given the fact that they want to keep this guy long-term. So there's a lot of heavy-lifting ahead. He won't be traded."
Zuccarello isn't what you would call elite, in terms of either hands or overall scoring ability, but he's fast - so very, very fast - and he plays with a ton of energy and toughness.
He's a smaller guy - generously listed at 5-foot-7, 179-pounds - but he plays much bigger.
The still only 27 year old really came into his own last season for the Rangers. In 77 games, he managed 19 goals and 40 assists, which led the team. This year, his numbers are down a bit - though he's said he won't use his uncertain contract status as an excuse - as he's got 11 goals and 21 assists in 53 games.
"I believe that Mats is a very good hockey player; I would prefer he stay a New York Ranger," Vigneault said recently, per Pat Leonard of The NY Daily News. "I've made that very clear to management. I think that this young man has a lot of upside, and I do believe that he can play much better than he has this year."
Despite the slight dip in production, Zuccarello's an ascending player who shows up with energy night in and night out and plays the game the right way, so it's no surprise the team - or at least Vigneault - wants to get him signed to a contract extension.
