Ex-Leafs defenceman Zaitsev signing four-year deal in Russia
Former Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev is leaving the NHL after eight seasons in the league.
The 32-year-old right-shot defender was a UFA this summer and, instead of finding another NHL team to sign with, it appears that Zaitsev will head back to his native Russia on a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.
Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston had the report.
Nikita Zaitsev is heading home to Russia on a four-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg. He played eight seasons in the NHL with Chicago, Ottawa and Toronto.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 4, 2024
An undrafted player, Zaitsev entered the NHL back during the 2016-17 season after signing with the Leafs as a free agent. He tallied 12 goals and 63 points in 223 games in Toronto before he was traded to the Ottawa Senators in a package for Cody Ceci in the summer of 2019.
From there, he spent the next four seasons in the nation’s capital before eventually being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in February 2023. Injuries limited him to appear in just 56 games over the last two seasons, where he only mustered up 10 points as one of the league’s worst blueliners.
He will join an SKA team that finished with a sparkling 46-19-2-1 record last season, which was good enough to finish atop of the Bobrov division. Unfortunately, they bowed out of the playoffs in the second round in a 4-1 series loss to Yekaterinburg Automobilist.
Other former NHLers on that team include two more former Leafs: Alex Galchenyuk and Brandon Leipsic.
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