TBN: Fun-loving Zadorov developing steadily

[joshjull]

http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/...46B6577AA2F7044508A3F58B2F37C9258860EAA6F356C

A few days ago, out of the blue, rookie defenseman Nikita Zadorov pulled Rob Ray to the side for a little discussion.

“Bring your skates in,†Zadorov said. “We’re going to center ice, and I’m going to kick the living …†and, well, you know the rest.

Ray laughed, of course.

“It caught me off guard,†Ray said Saturday before the Sabres rallied for a 4-3 victory over the Islanders in a shootout. “But that’s just the way he is. I told him, ‘Yeah, I’ll bring them in. You just tell me the day. You want me to sell tickets to it? You want me to wait until the end of the year so I don’t hurt you or embarrass you?’ â€

For weeks, the promising 19-year-old player and the 46-year-old enforcer-turned-commentator have had a running joke about going to toe-to-toe and settling things once and for all. Just for kicks, Zadorov has made snide comments to Ray during games while skating past him on his way to the Sabres’ bench.

When asked about his relationship with Razor, Zadorov asked, “Who’s Razor?â€

You know, he was told, Rob Ray.

“Oh, him,†Zadorov said. “I didn’t know he had a nickname.â€

Zadorov played a key role yet again (last night) and took another step toward establishing himself as a reliable young player in this league. Long gone are questions about his commitment after he reported to training camp out of shape. Remember, he watched 11 of the first 12 games before whipping himself into condition and returning a hungry, determined player.

He’s also turning into a terrific young player.

Once he cracked the lineup, Nolan couldn’t take him out. The Sabres are 11-10-2 with him playing a regular shift after going 3-9-1 in the first 13 games.

He’s not the only reason for their improvement, but his emergence has been a key factor.

“You can’t teach 6-5,†veteran Josh Gorges said. “Then you add his ability to skate and move, his skill set, his shot and his hands. He plays with an edge. He’s not afraid to get in the middle. He’ll get dirty and play a physical game. He’s got all the tools to be a fantastic defenseman for a lot of years.â€

“He’s got a great personality, he really does,†Nolan said.

“He has a great demeanor. He’s one of those guys, in two or three years or whenever this team is going for championship ames, and it’s a pressure cooker, he’s going to have a calm demeanor. There’s no panic in his game whatsoever.â€

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[Zip15]

Interesting timing on the article. I think he's really struggled since being separated from Risto.

 

[Moskau]

Nolan said we aren't going for championship games for another 2-3 years! Nolan is pro tank!

 

[Sabre the Win]

Nolan said we aren't going for championship games for another 2-3 years! Nolan is pro tank!

Then he would change his lines and throw off the balance and chemistry more to help us drop in the standings.

 

[joshjull]

Interesting timing on the article. I think he's really struggled since being separated from Risto.

You are such a curmudgeon. It was a funny and informative article about Zads. Yes he's struggled a bit without Risto. But it doesn't change the fact that he exceeded anyone's expectations for this year. And he's pretty funny.

 

[DJN21]

I'd love to see that fight...

 

[moomoosoup]

Zadorov has become one of my favorite players. Love the way he plays and hearing stuff like this about him. He, Risto, and (I hope) Myers are gonna be terrifying to play against in the future.

That being said, the Sabres like to get rid of my favorites, so sorry in advance.