"There's another level": Canucks coach Tocchet sees shutdown D-man in Zadorov
It’s been nearly two weeks since the Vancouver Canucks made a splashy move and traded for Nikita Zadorov.
The large defenceman has been an important addition to the Canucks’ defence corps, eating up tough minutes. While he’s shown some impressive flashes so far, head coach Rick Tocchet still sees the potential for more.
“There is another level there, I mean the guy can skate and shoot, obviously,” said coach Tocchet on Tuesday morning. “It’s probably quicker reads, I think that some might be a little system stuff, maybe we do a little couple of things differently than Calgary. ”
Getting those details correct is just a matter of time. Zadorov has still only played four games with his new team.
“I think we are just trying to get him to settle in. I think that half-second will come quicker when he gets dialled in more on some systems stuff,” the head coach continued.
At 6-foot-6, Zadorov is an imposing presence on the ice. Through his first few games in a Canucks jersey, he’s been playing the role of a shutdown defenceman and will continue to be used in that way, according to Tocchet.
“I thought he’s done a nice job. I thought even Minnesota there, we made a switch on the matchup. I think when we made the switch with our defensive pairs with a certain player we want him to go against, I think it really helped us, so that’s what he can do,” said the coach.
While Tocchet didn’t list a specific name in his example from the Minnesota Wild game, Zadorov’s most common matchup was against superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov, who was held pointless. If he can neutralize stars in that fashion, he will be an extremely useful weapon for the Canucks.
Through his first few games with his new club, the Russian defenceman has been eating up just over 18 minutes per game. While he has just one assist, the Canucks have outscored opponents 3-1 while he’s been on the ice at five-on-five.
“He’s been great, trying to chip in with what he can bring,” Quinn Hughes said about the newest Canuck before the team’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The captain especially appreciates what the defenceman brings “on the penalty kill and being able to shut down top forwards, hard to play against.”
Since the team has now been informed that they’re no longer in the running for free agent defenceman Ethan Bear, Zadorov’s performance becomes all that more important. Any more defence help will cost the team valuable assets and there are no signs of an immediate addition on the way.
The Canucks play tonight against a Lightning team that features several high-octane offensive players, including the NHL’s leading scorer, Nikita Kucherov. If trends from the past few games are anything to go off, Zadorov will likely draw a difficult matchup. He’s going to need to regularly come out ahead in those difficult battles for the Canucks to reach their full potential this season.