Canucks will "go hard" after Zadorov in free agency if not sooner: report
It may be a question of when, not if, Nikita Zadorov will join the Vancouver Canucks.
The Canucks seem very interested in acquiring the 28-year-old Flames defenceman, who reportedly wants out of Calgary. They may not get him in a trade this season, but that won’t stop them if he hits free agency next summer, according to a report from CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal.
“The Canucks love Zadorov. They love his size, they love his skating, they love the way he hits,” Dhaliwal said this morning on Donnie and Dhali.
“They’re gonna go hard after him. If they don’t get him in a trade, they’re going to try again on July 1st.”
It sounds like the feeling is mutual with the 6’6″, 248-pound Russian.
“Vancouver will be high on Zadorov’s list of destinations on July 1st.”
Are the #Canucks seriously interested in Nikita Zadorov or a reunion with Chris Tanev?@DhaliwalSports shared what he is hearing.https://t.co/h4e2SKM7eJ pic.twitter.com/4LYtwOyi1b
— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) November 14, 2023
Acquiring Zadorov this season will be a challenge for a number of reasons. First, he’s a left-shot defenceman and the Canucks are most in need of another blueliner on the right side. Second, the Flames may be less willing to trade him to a division rival.
And then there’s the fact that Zadorov counts $3.75 million on the salary cap, and the Canucks don’t have much money left to spend.
But in the summer? Well, that’s where things get interesting.
The contracts of defencemen Tyler Myers ($6 million) and Ian Cole ($3 million) are both scheduled to come off the books.
Then there’s the fact that Zadorov is a client of agent Dan Milstein, who has worked with Canucks GM Patrik Allvin on a number of occasions in the past.
Add it all up, and it seems like Zadorov could be Vancouver-bound at some point.