Toronto Maple Leafs Roster Preview, 50-in-50: Nikita Zaitsev

[Akipa]

http://lastwordonhockey.com/2017/09/12/toronto-maple-leafs-roster-preview-nikita-zaitsev/

Click to read more...

 

[Gary Nylund]

Finding and signing Zaitsev was such a huge coup for the Leafs. Don't even want to think about what our D would be like without him.

 

[TMLegend]

Not sold on him long-term as a top 4 defensemen, and that contract is bad for someone who had such middling results as a rookie last year, although that's in part to Rielly being a tire fire last year as well.

His played seemed to improve towards the end though when paired with Gardiner, so there is some positivity going into next year for him.

 

[ACC1224]

Finding and signing Zaitsev was such a huge coup for the Leafs. Don't even want to think about what our D would be like without him.

Some believe he will be their best defensemen within the next few seasons. Certainly not impossible, great find.

 

[Cor]

Oooo 50 new threads. Can't wait!

 

[Nylanderthal]

Really liked Z's game after he found his way. Took him a while to figure out NA ice and the NHL game, but he looked really good with Jake towards the end last season. The key is getting Gards locked in at a similar or slightly higher aav going forward. Get Gardiner signed for 5.5 and that's 15m for 3/4 of a solid and youngish top 4 going forward. 10m for a solid reliable middle pairing is reasonable with our cap structure (honestly don't know why everyone's worried)
One thing I hope to see more of is the offensive flair he showed in the KHL, I feel like his shot from the point was better than we saw last year.

 

[GardinerTheForward]

how can people say he struggled. Honestly. He played top line minutes and did pretty good. Sure he was on the ice with Morgs for some gross ones but its his rookie season Came in to the league as a steady second pairing D man.

What a shame. Struggled so much

 

[Maple Leaf Forever]

What's going on with him ....hasn't played any games yet .......no talk about him ....lingering concussions issues?????

 

[Leafidelity]

He had a baby less than a week ago

 

[Maple Leaf Forever]

He had a baby less than a week ago

Read that .....not trying to be insensitive ....but surprised he hasn't played ....

 

[Maple Leaf Forever]

He had a baby less than a week ago

Read that .....not trying to be insensitive ....but surprised he hasn't played ....

 

[Leafs16]

Zaitsev has been a great pickup for the Leafs. He's young and will continue to get better. Has a high ceiling on him

 

[Kshahdoo]

6 points with no PP time, +7 so far. The only plus player in the defeat. So far so good.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

Finding and signing Zaitsev was such a huge coup for the Leafs.

How did the Toronto Maple Leafs start to charm European free agents? Thank the unknown scout

POSTMEDIA NETWORK 10.17.2017

In the pursuit of Nikita Zaitsev, free-agent defenceman, a little-known scout named Jim Paliafito played the part of successful starting pitcher.
He worked the first several innings, did all the necessary diligence on Zaitsev, before Brendan Shanahan and Lou Lamoriello came out of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ front-office bullpen and closed the deal at a Moscow restaurant.
“Imagine you’re Nikita, and you’re out to dinner with your parents and with Jim to talk about the Leafs. And then who walks in to the restaurant: Lou and Brendan? Think of what that feels like. A Hall of Fame general manager and a Hall of Fame player. And they’ve come to see you. I think at that point it was like, deal done,” said Zaitsev’s agent, Dan Milstein.
“I represent a lot of Russian players, and here’s what I tell the GMs I deal with: If you want my player, you have to jump on a plane, you have to make your pitch in person. Because that’s what Lou Lamoriello does.”
The chase of the European free agent all starts from the Maple Leaf end with Paliafito, the Leafs’ Director of Player Evaluation, his name one that is rarely mentioned in hockey circles. His job is to watch available players, find out about them, track them, engage them, do research on them, and meet them, their families and their agents. And then do it all again.
“Jimmy played a huge role in Nikita signing in Toronto,” said Milstein, who took over from Zaitsev’s original agent, Mike Liut. “Jimmy found him, identified him, kept in touch with him regularly.”
“He did everything for me,” said Zaitsev. “He did a huge job to bring me here. He’s an unbelievable guy.”
Said Milstein: “I think people probably underestimate what Jim does for that organization. You don’t hear his name at all. He sets up everything. The Leafs, they do it right. And then for Lou to jump on a plane and close a deal, really, that’s unheard of. Nikita had conversations with maybe 15 teams. Ask me how many GMs jumped on a plane to meet him. The answer: zero. And when a legendary GM and a legendary player does that to meet with you, it tells you how you fit in.”
The emerging Zaitsev, who has since committed long-term in Toronto, is just part, maybe the best part to date, of the Paliafito file. The former NFL player agent and GM of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit was the key man in the signings of Swedish defencemen Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman, who have already played significant minutes in their first NHL seasons; one of them will play a regular spot for the time being. He was also central to the signing of centre Miro Aaltonen, who almost made the Leaf team this year out of training camp.
Twice in this young season, the Leafs have played with three of their six defencemen in the lineup from Team Paliafito — all signed while other teams were in pursuit of the same talent.
Lamoriello will tell you bluntly he did not know Paliafito before Mark Hunter hired him to work for the Leafs two years ago. But that’s one of the reasons Lamoriello has so much belief in Hunter, his assistant general manager: He’s hired diamonds like Paliafito and then cashed in on his findings.
“I knew the name,” said Lamoriello of Paliafito. “But I didn’t know the man.
“What I’ve found with Jim is that he’s a quality human being with outstanding communications skills. That’s not something I say easily. Not everybody has good communications skills. When you work in a team environment, that’s really important. He does just about everything for us (in Europe). He has this way about him a trust, and he’s one of the most honest human beings I’ve ever been around.”
There were seven teams interested in Borgman, and three teams interested enough in the end to present serious offers. But the most dogged scout in pursuit of Borgman, from beginning to end, was Paliafito.
“He was the first one that saw me, first one to contact me,” said Borgman. “I think he saw something before anyone else saw something.”
Borgman’s agent, Todd Diamond, who works with Mark Gandler, said the Maple Leafs have a way not just in recruiting free agents, but in helping the players adjust to North America once they’ve signed with the time. Once a team gets that kind of reputation, it spreads from agent to agent, from available player to available player.
“It was a long process with Andreas,” said Diamond. “After every couple of games last season, another team would get interested in him. He started to open people’s eyes as the season continued. The longer the year went, the better he got, the more teams involved.
“Toronto was there early in the process. Andreas was surprised by this. Jim was consistent the whole way in his interest, always in contact with him. When you have someone there from the beginning, that makes a difference.
“There’s another selling point Lou made clear. Whether you play for the Leafs or the Marlies, say you don’t make the Leafs, you’re living in the same city. You don’t have to worry about packing up and moving. It’s one less thing to think about when you’re new to North America, and if you’re in a city like Toronto, when you’re playing for the AHL team, the NHL general manager is watching you all the time. I think that’s a huge advantage for Toronto.”
Another agent pointed out: If you sign, for example, with the Vancouver Canucks and are sent to the AHL, you are playing in Utica, N.Y., some 4,700 km away. In Toronto, the trip from AHL to NHL is about a 10-minute drive.
What Calle Rosen liked most about his involvement with Paliafito: “He told me the truth. We talked a lot about coming here, a lot about a lot of things like opportunity. I got to talk to Mike Babcock and Lou on the phone. There was a lot of open conversation the whole time. They made me feel like this was the best place for me.”
“It’s more than just making a player feel comfortable,” said Milstein. “What you appreciate about the Leafs is their team effort. It starts with Jim, and he lays the groundwork. They’re all on the same page there, delivering the right message, and they’re honest with the player.
“Think about it: when you can get three free-agent defencemen on one team, that’s an asset-free acquisition. It’s a bonus. You don’t have to give up anything in return. How often can you do that? To find three defencemen without having to give up even a draft pick, that’s big for a team.”
The Leafs have just one drafted defenceman, Morgan Rielly, on their NHL roster. Two, Jake Gardiner and Connor Carrick, came by trade. The other, veteran Ron Hainsey, came through NHL free agency.
“What they’ve done with those guys in a short period of time is very impressive,” Diamond said of the three European free-agent defencemen.
“To me, it all starts with Lou,” said Rosen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt. “I’ve been dealing with Lou since 1992 and have done several deals with him and I have respect for the integrity he brings to the job.
“What I respect is the clear communication, whether it be Lou, Mike Babcock or Jim. Jim’s unbelievable at his job, he’s a great communicator, and I think that’s an extension of what Lou and Brendan Shanahan have put in place. With Calle, they were proactive, communicative, transparent. To me, that’s the quality of the organization.”

source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/spor...harm+european+free+agents/15220515/story.html

source2: https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20161002/282376924075487

 

[MJ65]

We are lucky / blessed to have him on our roster, we were pretty thin in this department, not only he has given stability and depth to our "D" but has also given us a chance not to rush our prospects and let them mature before they enter the NHL

 

[weems]

How did the Toronto Maple Leafs start to charm European free agents? Thank the unknown scout

POSTMEDIA NETWORK 10.17.2017

In the pursuit of Nikita Zaitsev, free-agent defenceman, a little-known scout named Jim Paliafito played the part of successful starting pitcher.
He worked the first several innings, did all the necessary diligence on Zaitsev, before Brendan Shanahan and Lou Lamoriello came out of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ front-office bullpen and closed the deal at a Moscow restaurant.
“Imagine you’re Nikita, and you’re out to dinner with your parents and with Jim to talk about the Leafs. And then who walks in to the restaurant: Lou and Brendan? Think of what that feels like. A Hall of Fame general manager and a Hall of Fame player. And they’ve come to see you. I think at that point it was like, deal done,” said Zaitsev’s agent, Dan Milstein.
“I represent a lot of Russian players, and here’s what I tell the GMs I deal with: If you want my player, you have to jump on a plane, you have to make your pitch in person. Because that’s what Lou Lamoriello does.”
The chase of the European free agent all starts from the Maple Leaf end with Paliafito, the Leafs’ Director of Player Evaluation, his name one that is rarely mentioned in hockey circles. His job is to watch available players, find out about them, track them, engage them, do research on them, and meet them, their families and their agents. And then do it all again.
“Jimmy played a huge role in Nikita signing in Toronto,” said Milstein, who took over from Zaitsev’s original agent, Mike Liut. “Jimmy found him, identified him, kept in touch with him regularly.”
“He did everything for me,” said Zaitsev. “He did a huge job to bring me here. He’s an unbelievable guy.”
Said Milstein: “I think people probably underestimate what Jim does for that organization. You don’t hear his name at all. He sets up everything. The Leafs, they do it right. And then for Lou to jump on a plane and close a deal, really, that’s unheard of. Nikita had conversations with maybe 15 teams. Ask me how many GMs jumped on a plane to meet him. The answer: zero. And when a legendary GM and a legendary player does that to meet with you, it tells you how you fit in.”
The emerging Zaitsev, who has since committed long-term in Toronto, is just part, maybe the best part to date, of the Paliafito file. The former NFL player agent and GM of the Ontario Hockey League’s Saginaw Spirit was the key man in the signings of Swedish defencemen Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman, who have already played significant minutes in their first NHL seasons; one of them will play a regular spot for the time being. He was also central to the signing of centre Miro Aaltonen, who almost made the Leaf team this year out of training camp.
Twice in this young season, the Leafs have played with three of their six defencemen in the lineup from Team Paliafito — all signed while other teams were in pursuit of the same talent.
Lamoriello will tell you bluntly he did not know Paliafito before Mark Hunter hired him to work for the Leafs two years ago. But that’s one of the reasons Lamoriello has so much belief in Hunter, his assistant general manager: He’s hired diamonds like Paliafito and then cashed in on his findings.
“I knew the name,” said Lamoriello of Paliafito. “But I didn’t know the man.
“What I’ve found with Jim is that he’s a quality human being with outstanding communications skills. That’s not something I say easily. Not everybody has good communications skills. When you work in a team environment, that’s really important. He does just about everything for us (in Europe). He has this way about him a trust, and he’s one of the most honest human beings I’ve ever been around.”
There were seven teams interested in Borgman, and three teams interested enough in the end to present serious offers. But the most dogged scout in pursuit of Borgman, from beginning to end, was Paliafito.
“He was the first one that saw me, first one to contact me,” said Borgman. “I think he saw something before anyone else saw something.”
Borgman’s agent, Todd Diamond, who works with Mark Gandler, said the Maple Leafs have a way not just in recruiting free agents, but in helping the players adjust to North America once they’ve signed with the time. Once a team gets that kind of reputation, it spreads from agent to agent, from available player to available player.
“It was a long process with Andreas,” said Diamond. “After every couple of games last season, another team would get interested in him. He started to open people’s eyes as the season continued. The longer the year went, the better he got, the more teams involved.
“Toronto was there early in the process. Andreas was surprised by this. Jim was consistent the whole way in his interest, always in contact with him. When you have someone there from the beginning, that makes a difference.
“There’s another selling point Lou made clear. Whether you play for the Leafs or the Marlies, say you don’t make the Leafs, you’re living in the same city. You don’t have to worry about packing up and moving. It’s one less thing to think about when you’re new to North America, and if you’re in a city like Toronto, when you’re playing for the AHL team, the NHL general manager is watching you all the time. I think that’s a huge advantage for Toronto.”
Another agent pointed out: If you sign, for example, with the Vancouver Canucks and are sent to the AHL, you are playing in Utica, N.Y., some 4,700 km away. In Toronto, the trip from AHL to NHL is about a 10-minute drive.
What Calle Rosen liked most about his involvement with Paliafito: “He told me the truth. We talked a lot about coming here, a lot about a lot of things like opportunity. I got to talk to Mike Babcock and Lou on the phone. There was a lot of open conversation the whole time. They made me feel like this was the best place for me.”
“It’s more than just making a player feel comfortable,” said Milstein. “What you appreciate about the Leafs is their team effort. It starts with Jim, and he lays the groundwork. They’re all on the same page there, delivering the right message, and they’re honest with the player.
“Think about it: when you can get three free-agent defencemen on one team, that’s an asset-free acquisition. It’s a bonus. You don’t have to give up anything in return. How often can you do that? To find three defencemen without having to give up even a draft pick, that’s big for a team.”
The Leafs have just one drafted defenceman, Morgan Rielly, on their NHL roster. Two, Jake Gardiner and Connor Carrick, came by trade. The other, veteran Ron Hainsey, came through NHL free agency.
“What they’ve done with those guys in a short period of time is very impressive,” Diamond said of the three European free-agent defencemen.
“To me, it all starts with Lou,” said Rosen’s agent, Kurt Overhardt. “I’ve been dealing with Lou since 1992 and have done several deals with him and I have respect for the integrity he brings to the job.
“What I respect is the clear communication, whether it be Lou, Mike Babcock or Jim. Jim’s unbelievable at his job, he’s a great communicator, and I think that’s an extension of what Lou and Brendan Shanahan have put in place. With Calle, they were proactive, communicative, transparent. To me, that’s the quality of the organization.”

source: http://www.montrealgazette.com/spor...harm+european+free+agents/15220515/story.html

source2: https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20161002/282376924075487

Man stuff like this gets me so freaking excited for whats to come.

Great read!

 

[Gary Nylund]

Man stuff like this gets me so freaking excited for whats to come.

Great read!

Yup. And remember when our organization was the laughing stock of the league (if not the entire sporting world). Amazing how everything has changed in such a short time!

 

[Ziggdiezan]

He played top 5 hardest QoC in the entire league as a rookie who never played in North America before....

He was amazing all things considered, and honestly could end up the most impactful defender of the current NHL Leafs.

 

[MR4]

Great read! Leafs finally using their riches effectively again