Jason Zucker is finally on the move.
After his name appeared regularly in trade rumors in recent seasons — and after he was nearly shipped out twice in the past year — the veteran Wild winger was sent to Pittsburgh on Monday night in the first significant move of General Manager Bill Guerin's six-month tenure.
The Penguins, eager to make another run at the Stanley Cup, gave up a first-round pick and 19-year-old defenseman Calen Addison, who helped Canada to a world junior championship in January.
Forward Alex Galchenyuk, the third overall pick in the 2012 NHL draft whose contract expires at the end of the season, is also coming to Minnesota.
Guerin, Pittsburgh's assistant GM before joining the Wild last August, will address the trade Tuesday before the team plays the Golden Knights at Xcel Energy Center.
Zucker has been with the Wild for his entire nine-season career, debuting in 2011-12 after he was drafted in the second round (59th overall) in 2010. He emerged as a speedy goal scorer, four times eclipsing 20 goals in a season and recording a career-high 33 and 64 points in 2017-18. The previous season, he tied teammate Ryan Suter for the NHL lead with a +34 plus/minus.
Before the 2018 season, he signed a five-year, $27.5 million deal, but that didn't quiet speculation the top-six forward with a workable contract could be a bargaining chip to help the Wild remake its roster.
Before last season's deadline, a deal with the Calgary Flames that involved Zucker was discussed. And in May, the Wild and Penguins were in talks to package Zucker and center Victor Rask for right winger Phil Kessel and defenseman Jack Johnson; the deal fell apart when Kessel, a Wisconsin native and former Gopher, nixed it with his modified no-trade clause. Zucker, who saw his best friend Charlie Coyle traded to Boston during last season, had a 10-team no-trade list kick in last summer.