Zadorov rejected first Canucks contract offer: report
Contract talks between the Vancouver Canucks and defenceman Nikita Zadorov have seemingly hit a roadblock.
The two sides are reportedly not in active negotiations after Zadorov’s team rejected the first offer put forward by the Canucks.
“The Canucks and agent Dan Milstein are not talking right now, but as I have said for a whole, the Canucks know Milstein’s ask,” explained CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal on the Donnie & Dhali show today. “Before the playoffs, the two sides talked, and it went nowhere with Milstein rejecting the Canucks’ offer.”
.@DhaliwalSports on Nikita Zadorov:
The #Canucks and agent Dan Milstein are not talking right now but as I have said for a while ā the #Canucks know Milsteinās ask.
Before the playoffs the 2 sides talked and it went nowhere
with Milstein rejecting the Canucks offer. pic.twitter.com/jzMwRi7dXg— Donnie & Dhali (@DonnieandDhali) May 27, 2024
This lines up with other recent reporting put forward by insider Irf Gaffar.
“There was an offer that the Canucks did make, I believe it was [$4.5 million] over four, five years,” said Gaffar on an episode of the Rink Wide podcast. “The Zadorov camp did turn that one down.”
The big defenceman solidified his spot as a fan-favourite during the playoffs with clutch goals, big hits, and funny quotes. He finished the postseason with eight points in 13 games, tied for the fifth most among Canucks and second among team blueliners.
Zadorov definitely raised his stock with a strong postseason, as his physical play and strong skating helped the Canucks a ton.
The pending unrestricted free agent will hit the open market on July 1, when he will then be eligible to sign with any team. He is one of just two pending free agent defencemen who are at least 6-foot-5 and scored a minimum of 20 points alongside teammate and fellow free agent Tyler Myers.
Zadorov was acquired midseason from the Calgary Flames for two draft picks. The 29-year-old made $3.75 million last season and could likely fetch at least $5 million per season on the open market.
The Canucks have just three defencemen ā Quinn Hughes, Carson Soucy, and Noah Juulsen ā signed for next season. They’ll have to either bring back players like Zadorov and Myers or look to acquire new blueliners to replace the missing production.
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