He’s big, he’s mean and he’s a great teammate. What more could you ask for from a player?
Nikita Zadorov
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 235lbs
I’m going to make this one short because I believe that most people know exactly the type of player the Leafs would get if they were to sign Nikita Zadorov this summer. He’s largely been used as a 3rd pair, 2nd PK player for his career, but he’s seeking a bigger role and a bigger slice of the pie, which is something I could easily envision Brad Treliving providing for him.
Since he requested a trade from the Calgary Flames, reports have been circulating that Zadorov sees himself as a top 4 defender and is looking to be paid like one. @AFPAnalytics are projecting a contract in the vicinity of $5.3M per season with a 5 year term as his next deal. For that money you would have to be confident that he can play more safe minutes than the 18.34 TOI/GP that he logged with Calgary this past season, which was 6th among Flames blueliners. That’s a number that dropped after he joined the Vancouver Canucks, where he logged just over 17 minutes a night, which was also the 6th highest among their blueliners. His shorthanded TOI/GP was also the lowest among regular blueliners on both clubs, while he didn’t get a sniff at powerplay time.
His usage with the Canucks did increase significantly in the playoffs, which is where his style of play could help the Leafs massively. His crease clearing prowess, massive hits and ability to push his weight around would be very valuable assets against teams like the Florida Panthers and/or Boston Bruins and that alone would make his caphit one that’s worthwhile. If the Leafs were to sign Zadorov he would need to be the 2nd best defender they obtain this summer, or else they’ll likely setting themselves up for failure, but they should absolutely sign this player either way.
Apparently he’s not just a one trick pony.