Speculation: What ever happened to Zaitsev?

ottomaddox

Registered User
Oct 31, 2017
10,592
4,600
Toronto
I know all players have down years. This guy is really down. He now looks like we would be lucky if he is a perminant fixture on the bottom pairing.

Does he need a change of scenery (a trade or a healthy scratch minimum)?

I am not talking about 1 bad game. I'm talking about most games this season. Did we label him a top 4 D too early?
 

MR4

Registered User
Oct 20, 2014
6,270
2,253
Think it's partly just a bad season for him but would love to have him as the main piece in a trade for Doughty/Tanev
 

member 147413

Guest
He’s not being put in a position to be successful, but he’s the only option we have to put in that position. As another poster mentioned, he needs a Hainsey type partner himself.
 
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Hogan86

Registered User
Jun 21, 2016
1,563
679
Hasn't looked the same since his head injury. Hopefully he can recover this offseason and regain his rookie season form. I still have faith in Zaitsev, and think he can bounce back. I really don't think Gardiner is a great partner for him. Like earlier post mention he needs more of a shut down defensemen to play with. Hopefully next season he will bounce back!
 

Liminality

Registered User
Oct 22, 2008
13,366
4,013
He's still feeling the effects and getting adjusted to his broken foot injury.

It makes sense cause I don't remember him trying to use the boards and icing the puck last year compared to now. Since he can't skate as well as he did he's trying to use other means to make up for it but it's not working. Hoping he can fully recover or adapt soon.
 

Zybalto

Registered User
Dec 28, 2012
9,490
8,767
Hasn't been good as of late but also hasn't been the tire fire some are projecting.

Leafs fans are always hard on the dmen and they are overperforming expectations this year too.
 

thewave

Registered User
Jun 17, 2011
39,884
9,723
but plus/minus.

It doesn't look terrible, he's not Polak at all. I mean overall he seems ok to me just not anything special like everyone was hoping. I am not upset by his play and rather like our D and prefer to lay my blame primarily on the Bozak and Moore lines. The Bozak line has been pretty good lately. Probably why we are winning, hard to beat a 3 line team.
 

DavePoulin4PM

2x NHL all star, Selke winner, NHL exec
Nov 6, 2017
1,570
2,229
He was not very good to begin with. Giving him an extension was a major mistake seeing as he does nothing well. Injury issues/more film for coaches to find his (many) weaknesses, results in him getting exposed. He is an AHL caliber player, but management wanted to act like the smartest guys in the room and bring this guy over from Russia.. there's a reason why he was in Russia until his mid twenties.. it's because he is a scrub.

Need to get rid of him for whatever you can at this point.
 

justafan22

Registered User
Jun 22, 2014
11,629
6,249
He's an ideal 3rd pairing guy who can play 2nd minutes if needed but I'd dump him if a team likes him that much. NTC kicks in a year from now.
 
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JEI

Jericho
Jun 7, 2004
11,561
494
I'm slowly starting to edge towards 'trade' camp and I loved Zaitsev's game last year. If he was on an ELC I would be all for keeping him - but the money and term becomes a factor when you play the way he has.
 

deletethis

Registered User
Mar 17, 2015
7,910
2,486
Toronto
I've been watching the NHL for several decades. I'd bet on post concussion syndrome. This is the injury that silently ends or causes severe decline in careers. Some players get past it after a year or so struggle. Others just disappear (Mike Van Ryn, Petr Svoboda - circa 2000).
 

JEI

Jericho
Jun 7, 2004
11,561
494
I've been watching the NHL for several decades. I'd bet on post concussion syndrome. This is the injury that silently ends or causes severe decline in careers. Some players get past it after a year or so struggle. Others just disappear (Mike Van Ryn, Petr Svoboda - circa 2000).

This is what I fear.
 

Zybalto

Registered User
Dec 28, 2012
9,490
8,767
Yeah, that's why every single D he plays with has their stats improved. Amazing eh.

Overall that's true but Zaitsev had very little to do with Gards bad game last night. Bobby Orr can't stop Gardiner from throwing muffin into the middle of the ice.

Really not too worried about Zaitsev...yet.
 

thewave

Registered User
Jun 17, 2011
39,884
9,723
Overall that's true but Zaitsev had very little to do with Gards bad game last night. Bobby Orr can't stop Gardiner from throwing muffin into the middle of the ice.

Really not too worried about Zaitsev...yet.

Neither am I. I worry about Polak still being here because he stinks and is in over the much better Carrick which is weird.
 

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