Minnesota’s misstep turned into Los Angeles’ opportunity.
Bill Guerin is fresh off General Manager of the Year honors, but his bid for a repeat has taken a hit this offseason.
Longtime Minnesota Wild winger Mats Zuccarello signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Kings worth $1 million, plus bonuses, in recent days—ending a lengthy tenure in Minnesota and adding another veteran piece to an already experience-heavy Kings roster.
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The departure wasn’t entirely seamless. Zuccarello was reportedly “ticked” at the Wild over what he viewed as a lack of communication regarding his future. That, however, appears to be only part of the story. Guerin later acknowledged he took too long to reach out after the season, accepting responsibility for the breakdown.
“I don’t blame him. Honestly, I took way too much time after the season to reach out and communicate with him, and that’s on me. Zuccy probably deserved better than that. When we did connect a couple of weeks ago, we had a great conversation,” Guerin told reporters.
Zuccarello is no longer in his prime at 38 years old, but his production hasn’t fallen off a cliff. He finished last season with 54 points in 59 games and added nine points in eight playoff appearances. Over seven seasons in Minnesota, he totaled 389 points in 452 regular-season games, cementing himself as one of the franchise’s most consistent offensive drivers of the past decade.
Given that production and tenure, it’s understandable why the situation left a sour taste. From Minnesota’s perspective, the delayed communication only intensified uncertainty around a longtime core piece. From Zuccarello’s standpoint, it became a clear signal that a change of scenery made sense.
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That change now lands him in Los Angeles, where the Kings are betting on experience, fit, and offensive rebound potential rather than a full-scale reset.
“They feel like they could play a little bit more offensive-minded at times,” Zuccarello told NHL.com. “Hopefully, I can contribute with that.”
That need is real. Offense, not defense, was Los Angeles’ biggest issue last season. The Kings finished near the bottom of the league in goals per game (2.68) and struggled on the power play at just 17 percent. Despite that, a steady stream of overtime losses was enough to push them into a Western Conference wild-card spot before they were ultimately swept by the Colorado Avalanche.
Rather than pivoting toward a rebuild, Los Angeles has doubled down on short-term competitiveness and veteran stability. Alongside Zuccarello, the Kings brought back 41-year-old Corey Perry on a one-year deal worth $1 million plus bonuses after a midseason stint that saw him play 50 games before being traded to Tampa Bay. They also added center Scott Laughton on a three-year deal carrying a $3.5 million average annual value.
The message from Los Angeles is clear: stay competitive now, even if it means leaning heavily on aging but proven contributors to patch a scoring problem that nearly derailed their season.
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