Will Zadorov be a casualty of Canucks trade deadline upgrade?
Could Vancouver Canucks defenceman Nikita Zadorov be on the trade block just months after being acquired? While the Canucks just traded for him in November, he could become a cap casualty as the team looks to upgrade before the trade deadline.
If the Canucks want to target a player like Chris Tanev, a right-handed defenceman that would help balance their defence corps or one of the top-six forwards that they’ve been linked to, they will need to clear out money.
Clearing Zadorov’s $3.75 million contract would go a long ways to opening the space necessary to make a big “all-in” move.
“I wonder about Zadorov,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the Jeff Marek Show yesterday. “I think they’re going to clear some room for them to do something, whether it’s Lindholm, or it’s Henrique, or it’s Guentzel or someone who I haven’t thought of yet.”
The hulking Russian is signed through the end of this season for $3.75 million. He’s the Canucks fourth most expensive defenceman, only behind Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, and Tyler Myers.
Friedman is far from the only reporter who has brought up Zadorov’s name in the past 24 hours.
“I’d heard a little rumour,” added Jason Brough on this morning’s version of Halford & Brough. “I didn’t want to come out and say that I’d heard a rumour about Nikita Zadorov possibly being made available because I didn’t 1,000% trust the rumour, and I didn’t think it was responsible.”
While Zadorov does bring a physical element that the Canucks surely appreciate, he also has spent some time stapled to the bench as of late.
In the Canucks recent 4-3 loss against the St. Louis Blues, Zadorov didn’t see the ice for the vast majority of the third period. He finished with just 12:40 of ice time, the lowest number of any defenceman as the team roared back to earn a point.
While that was just one game, it’s not a good sign that head coach Rick Tocchet is already benching him.
“You’re starting to hear the odd thing. I’m wondering how happy they are with him,” said CHEK Media’s Don Taylor on Canucks Central this morning. “I don’t just mean on the ice, I wonder how he’s meshing in that room… I’m not so sure there’s a mesh there right now, maybe that changes.”
The 6-foot-5 player has four assists in 24 games for the Canucks thus far. While his size and snarl will surely be even more valuable come the playoffs, in a hard-cap league, many decisions come down to finances. If the Canucks feel like they’d be better off with Tanev or another top-six forward, Zadorov could find his time in Vancouver cut short.