Canucks and Zadorov not talking extension yet: report
The Vancouver Canucks have a decision to make with defenceman Nikita Zadorov.
The pending unrestricted free agent will need a new contract for next season and the Canucks need to decide if they want to be the ones to sign it.
“There’s been no contract talks between the Canucks and Nikita Zadorov, who has played really well in the past three weeks,” said CHEK’sRick Dhaliwal on today’s episode of the Donnie & Dhali show.
Dhaliwal is correct in that the Russian defenceman has been playing some of his best hockey lately. The 6-foot-6 blueliner has 10 points in 40 games since arriving in Vancouver.
Zadorov had one of his best games of the season in a recent 4-3 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche, finishing with a Gordie Howe hat trick.
He is not afraid to stand up for his teammates and has been providing more offence over the past few weeks. He already has three points halfway through March, the same number he had in both January and February.
It’s not hard to imagine a team being enthralled by Zadorov’s combination of size, snarl, and talent in free agency this summer. This means that he could quickly become quite expensive to re-sign.
“I told you they’re going to try and re-sign Myers,” continued Dhaliwal, corroborating a report from earlier in the day. “What’s the biggest difference between Myers and Zadorov? Righty, lefty. That’s all you need to know folks.”
Right-handed defencemen are a valued commodity in the NHL and it’s no surprise that the Canucks would prioritize a player on that side. Myers is also likely to cost a lot less than Zadorov moving forward.
Dhaliwal also added later that pending UFA Ian Cole “would love to return to Vancouver” and that the interest is mutual. The veteran has been a steady presence for the team on the blue line so far this season.