2013 HOCKEY ARBITRATION COMPETITION OF CANADA. Mats Zuccarello v. The New York Rangers. Submission on Behalf of Mats Zuccarello. Midpoint: $1.

Transcription

1 2013 HOCKEY ARBITRATION COMPETITION OF CANADA Mats Zuccarello v. The New York Rangers Submission on Behalf of Mats Zuccarello Midpoint: $1.15 Submission by Team 27 1

2 I. INTRODUCTION In accordance to Article 12 of the Collective Bargaining Agreement ("CBA") between the National Hockey League ("NHL") and the National Hockey League Players Association ("NHLPA"), Mats Zuccarello ("the Player" or "Mats") of the New York Rangers has elected to pursue salary arbitration to determine his compensation for the season. According to the CBA, the following evidence is to be considered in determining a player's salary arbitration compensation: overall performance including NHL official stats of player in previous seasons; the number of games played by the player, his injuries or illnesses during the preceding seasons; the length of the service of that player to the Club; the overall contribution of the player to the Club; any special qualities of leadership or public appeal; the overall performance of players alleged to be comparable to the Player whose salary is in dispute; and the compensation of players alleged to be comparable to the Player whose salary is in dispute. 1 It will be clear from the following evidence that Mats is a player that has not been given the legitimate opportunity he deserves in the NHL. From the limited time he has played in the league, Mats has proven himself to be capable of performing at a high level, especially from an offensive stand point.* Mats speed and creativity are talents that cannot be overlooked. As such, Mats is fairly entitled to a salary above the $1.15 million midpoint. 1 Collective Bargaining Agreement Between NHL and NHLPA, 2012, Article 12.9 (g) (ii). * All statistics on Mats Zuccarello throughout this paper are from nhl.com, unless otherwise posted. 2

3 II. OVERALL PERFORMANCE OF THE PLAYER A) An Introduction to Mats Zuccarello and Career Performance Mats Zuccarello is a 5'7", 179 lbs left winger from Oslo, Norway. Mats is a speedy and creative offensive threat who is also responsible on the defensive side of the puck. Mats began his professional hockey career in Europe playing in the Swedish Hockey League for MODO. 2 Mats saw immediate offensive success scoring 40 points in 35 games in He scored 64 points in 55 games in with MODO before signing a contract with the New York Rangers during the 2010 offseason. Mats first full season in the NHL came in * where he played 42 games for the Rangers. In 42 games, Mats accumulated 23 points and had a plus/minus of plus 3, playing strong defensively, and averaging over a hit per game. However, he was sent up and down from the minors on multiple occasions during that year. Being sent up and down this many times during a year makes it difficult for a player to find any consistency, however Mats did a great job of making the most of his opportunity with the Rangers in the NHL. He also played well for New York's AHL affiliate Connecticut Whales, scoring 29 points in 36 games. In Mats again played with Connecticut to start the year before being recalled by New York in the last month of the season. Mats again played well in Connecticut where he had 36 points in 37 games. In the 10 games he played with New York that year, he had 3 points in 10 games. Unfortunately, Mats stint with the Rangers that year was shortened by an injury. In the two seasons leading up to his platform year, Mats had played in 52 NHL games, where he averaged a point every two games (See Figure: 1). He did this while keeping a plus rating and 2 *Based on playing in 10 or more NHL regular season games. 3

4 having over a hit per game. It is fair to say that Mats not only contributes offensively but is responsible defensively as well. Figure 1: Career Statistics GP G A P PIMS +/- PPG Years Prior to Platform B) Platform Year: Mats began the season playing in the Kontinental Hockey League in Europe. However late in the New York Rangers season, and trying to make a run at clinching a final playoff spot, the Rangers signed Mats to a one year contract. Mats played exceptionally well for the Rangers in the final 15 games of the season, where he scored 8 points and was plus 10. This was good enough for a 0.53 points per game average. It lead players and coaches to publicly discuss how Mats was instrumental in making the final run to clinch one of the last playoff spots late in the year. 3 The Rangers were when he returned to the lineup for them, and added energy and the offense they needed to solidify the final spot in the post season. 4 Figure: 2 Season GP G A P PIMS +/- PPG Platform Year C) Playoff Performance Mats played one game for the Rangers in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs where he saw limited ice time and failed to register a point. His real playoff experience came during his platform year, where he played in all 12 of the Rangers playoff games recording 7 points while 3 Supra note 2. 4 Ibid. 4

5 playing over 16 minutes per game. His playoff performance during his platform year was a continuation of solid play for the limited games he played during the regular season. His play also helped the #6 seed Rangers beat the favoured #3 seed Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs. His strong performance to finish his platform year should be taken into consideration by the New York Rangers. D) Injuries Mats has suffered one serious injury in his NHL career. This was a broken wrist he suffered while blocking a shot late in the season. This type of injury can happen to any player. He did not get hit with a body check, or injured while making a hit. He was injured by playing hard defensively and blocking a shot late in the year when the Rangers were fighting for a high Stanley Cup playoff seed. The injury forced him to miss 8 season games and 20 playoff games. There are no other injuries to report. III. COMPARABLE PLAYERS A) Kyle Palmieri Kyle Palmieri is a 5'11", 197 lbs right winger playing for the Anaheim Ducks. Kyle is comparable to Mats Zuccerallo because they have both seen limited time in the NHL while providing offense to their respective clubs. Like Mats, Kyle has played up and down from the NHL to the AHL consistently over the last three seasons. Like Mats, Kyle was called up and then sent back to his AHL team numerous times. Kyle played his first full NHL season in where he only scored 1 goal and averaged just over 8 minutes of ice time per game. In , Kyle competed in 18 games 5

6 where he saw an increase in ice time to just over 11 minutes per game, he also accumulated 7 points in those 18 games for a 0.39 points per game average. In his platform year, , Kyle played in 42 games and saw over 12 minutes of ice time. In his 42 games he scored 21 points for a 0.50 points per game average. Mats and Kyle have played a very similar amount of NHL games. However, when comparing the two players, it should be taken into consideration that Mats has averaged more ice time per game. Mats is being used more by his club and he is making the most of the opportunities he has been given. Mats nearly averages a point every two games that he plays, and he is a very solid plus 13 for his career. He not only contributes offensively, but he works hard defensively as well. Kyle has only managed a point per game average of 0.33 over the 70 games he has played. He also does not have the plus/minus that Mats has even though Mats sees more ice time per game. Kyle's annual salary is $1.466 million. It is clear by the facts that in the limited amount of games each of these players has played, Mats has contributed more to his club. Given that Mats has contributed more than Kyle to his club, it is reasonable to say that Mats should be compensated at least the $1.466 million annual salary that Kyle Palmieri makes. B) Craig Smith Craig Smith is a 6'1", 202 lbs right winger for the Nashville Predators. He has played 2 years with the Predators, playing 116 games over two seasons. His first came in , where he played 72 games and scored 36 points for a 0.50 points per game average. In his next season with the Predators, Craig struggled, only scoring 12 points in 44 games. 6

7 Mats and Craig are comparable as they play a similar role on their respective teams, and see similar ice time. It is true that Craig has played almost double the games that Mats has played in the NHL, however by comparing the statistics, Mats has contributed more to his team during his limited NHL career (See Figure: 3). While it is true that Craig has played in more games, and averages similar ice time to Mats, he struggled defensively, as he is a combined minus 20 in his two seasons with the Predators. Mats is a combined plus 13 for his career. Also, Mats is more efficient and contributory on offense, as he has averaged almost a point every two games during his career. Craig, on the other hand, has a 0.41 points per game average for his career, largely due to his poor platform year, where he averaged 0.27 points per game. Mats platform year saw a points per game average of Figure: 3 (Comparing Career Stats) Player GP G A P PPG +/- Mats Zuccarello Craig Smith Although Craig has played almost double the NHL games Mats has, Mats has been more productive to his team. In the limited time Mats has played, he has made the most of his opportunities. With more of a consistent spot in the line up, Mats could show he can be a great offensive weapon, while playing responsible defense. Craig Smith has an annual salary of $2 million and it is very fair to say that based on Mats points per game average and plus/minus, he is entitled to a salary that is closer to Craig's $2 million, than to the $1.15 million midpoint. IV. CONCLUSION In the limited time Mats has played in the NHL he has proven himself to be very productive to his team. While Craig and Kyle have seen more NHL games, Mats has shown he 7

8 can contribute at a higher level. Mats has a better points per game average and a significantly higher plus minus. With more of a consistent spot in the New York Rangers line up, Mats should continue to excel both offensively and defensively. Therefore, based on his performance and the salary of the comparable players, Mats is fairly entitled to a salary higher than that of the $1.15 million midpoint. 8