In the breaking news department according the AHL transactions page the New York Rangers have recalled Mats Zuccarello from the Connecticut Whale this morning. Zuccarello, 22, has 13 goals and 11 assists in 34 games this season in the AHL. Beyond those overall numbers Zuke has been on fire of late scoring 7 goals and adding 9 assists in his last 14 games.
Zuccarello is an extremely skilled RW with excellent speed, vision and playmaking ability to go with his scoring touch. This move makes tremendous sense if Marian Gaborik who missed practice this morning, with a sore groin, is injured and might miss tomorrow's game against the Lightning as Zuccarello is the best prepared of all the players on the Whale to play a top 6 forward role. The injury to Gaborik would answer some of the questions regarding his less than stellar play of late but would force more to be asked about when the injury started; why they did not sit him immediately; and the inevitable one about his fragility. As Wild fans like to term him Groinik would not be a good thing.
Update: For more on how I would use Zuccarello and who I would pair him with read this
