Nikita 'Not A Cap Dump' Zaitsev

[Ziggdiezan]

Didnt see a Zaitsev thread to bump.

To paraphrase Babcock 'When Zaitsev is on the ice the cycle stops'

Zaitsev has been steadily improving since his return from injury last year and seems to be hitting his stride.

This is huge for the leafs and gives the leafs the option of shifting him up a pairing to get Hainsey off the top pairing.

If the leafs didnt have two great PP defenders I think Zaitsev would be wracking up quite a few more points as well.

Anyways, that a'boy Zaitsev

Click to read more...

 

[A1LeafNation]

I feel like Rielly and Zaitsev can be this teams top pair for the next 5-6 years playing 25 min per game.

 

[ShaneFalco]

He's looked good so far.
Not sure how they keep him and Gardiner though

 

[Advanced stats]

I absolutely love Zaitsev, and have never cried for us to dump him. He's easily our 2nd best defender and a RHD to boot.

I'd like to see Reilly - Zaitsev and Dermot with Gardiner.

 

[Melo Meds]

So far so good in the four games he’s played. Last game I thought he was really solid. If Hainsey continues to play poor we’ll need Zaitsev to step up even more. I think his broken foot last year slowed down his skating which is really one of his best qualities. I’m sure being a new dad can put a lot of stress as well on a young guy as well. Need to see more before we can really evaluate him but I’m happy with his progress. I don’t expect to see the same numbers as he had in year one since he was getting PP time that season.

 

[Field of Dreams]

I absolutely love Zaitsev, and have never cried for us to dump him. He's easily our 2nd best defender and a RHD to boot.

I'd like to see Reilly - Zaitsev and Dermot with Gardiner.

I wouldn't trust Gardiner on the offside and dermott should be more experienced before given that challenge. Hainsey despite all his shortcomings is a bearable stop gap in the meantime

 

[Cor]

I'm glad to see him bounce back, as expected.

It was a shame to see a lot of people here acting like the player was garbage.

 

[deletethis]

He's earning his salary this season so far. I'm more relieved than thrilled.

 

[Nizdizzle]

Hm, not trying to be contrarian, but I was unimpressed with what I've seen from Zaitsev this season. He still handles the puck like a hand grenade when pressured, and gives far too much space and time for the other team when they are cycling the puck (he was especially horrible against the Hawks). I think he has played like a low-end #4, and Leafs are going to need him to up his game if we ever want to stop worrying about the right-side.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

His physical and mental health got a deserved rest and he's back to his usual self.

His contract for a RHD is pretty reasonable.

 

[Zybalto]

Little early to make judgements no?


Hes a solid 4 and has been that way since late February.

Gards hasn't quite got his game going yet and is dragging Zaits down a bit and better watch out as Dermott is breathing down his neck for that 3 spot. I think Gards will get it together though. His fractured camp and the new baby may have something to do with his slow start.

 

[smitty10]

He's looked good so far.
Not sure how they keep him and Gardiner though

Maybe you don't.

Let Gardiner go and save the cap space for a future signing. He's not shown that he's reliable enough to warrant his contract. His point totals say one thing, but watching him you think another. I would rather give the spot to a guy like Sandin if he has a good year with the Marlies.

I can picture a long term Gardiner deal going South very quickly.

 

[Stephen]

Glad he's not a "cap dump" but not sold on keeping him for all 7 years...

 

[hotpaws]

He's looked good so far.
Not sure how they keep him and Gardiner though

if Z he continue's this level of play at his cap he'll be a steal with a rising cap , LL locking him in long term looks like another good contract decision to go along with Rielly and Kads

yea we can't afford both but we have Dermott to step in for Gards in the top 4 while we already need another top 4 rhd along with Z and we have no one in the near term who can fill that spot(s) so good by Gards

 

[slozo]

Maybe you don't.

Let Gardiner go and save the cap space for a future signing. He's not shown that he's reliable enough to warrant his contract. His point totals say one thing, but watching him you think another. I would rather give the spot to a guy like Sandin if he has a good year with the Marlies.

I can picture a long term Gardiner deal going South very quickly.

I get this feeling - nothing really to dissect, just a hunch - that management feels the way you described about Gardiner. Elite skater and playmaker, very good shot, has massive brainfarts all the time and is prone to the ridiculous giveaway on occasion. And knowing what we'd have to pay to keep him . . . I don't think they see the value in that, as opposed to getting another guy through free agency/trade/etc that is half the price and is the exact opposite player - solid defensively, prone to making the safer play as opposed to the flashy one, dependable in our zone.

Zaitsev is a better option to keep as a somewhat offensive defenceman who can still be decent defensively.

 

[hector morrison]

I'm glad to see him bounce back, as expected.

It was a shame to see a lot of people here acting like the player was garbage.

Maybe a shame,but they were not wrong. He was garbage when he came back,his skating deficiency was plainly obvious. He came back to early,maybe concerned about losing his status to someone else. Holl was looking capable at the time!
Anyway, he looks to be almost as good as he originally was!

 

[Fogelhund]

Noting, Zaitsev has the poorest possession stats of any D on the team so far this year... small sample...

 

[SHANNYPLAN]

The Guy had a lot going on last season, and I’m glad to see him bounce back like this

He’s not an offensive juggernaut, but can break up the cycle and is a smart player

Last year he was recovering from a broken/injured foot, had a newborn baby at home, and got sick towards the end of the season... not easy to deal with

Wouldn’t mind trying

Rielly - Zaitsev
Gardiner - Hainsey
Dermott - Ozhiganov

 

[Zybalto]

Noting, Zaitsev has the poorest possession stats of any D on the team so far this year... small sample...

Hey we haven't traded Gards yet!

 

[Cor]

Maybe a shame,but they were not wrong. He was garbage when he came back,his skating deficiency was plainly obvious. He came back to early,maybe concerned about losing his status to someone else. Holl was looking capable at the time!
Anyway, he looks to be almost as good as he originally was!

The shame was the ones acting like he was garbage overall, not just last season. People wanted to dump him ASAP.

A concussion can affect a player for up to 12 months, even if they are cleared to resume full physical activities beforehand. It was obvious that was affecting him and he lost his confidence.

 

[Pi]

I'm glad to see him bounce back, as expected.

It was a shame to see a lot of people here acting like the player was garbage.

He’s not garbage but he’s not deserving of a 7 year deal.

 

[smitty10]

He’s not garbage but he’s not deserving of a 7 year deal.

I get the 7 year deal though. It was a risk, but the reward is that we get a top 4 Dman for $4.5/year over the next 7 years when he likely would have cost us $6.5+ for 5 years if he took a $3.5m bridge deal for 2.

Think about how good his cap hit will look in 3 years if he puts up 40 points and plays top pairing minutes.

 

[hector morrison]

The shame was the ones acting like he was garbage overall, not just last season. People wanted to dump him ASAP.

A concussion can affect a player for up to 12 months, even if they are cleared to resume full physical activities beforehand. It was obvious that was affecting him and he lost his confidence.

Well ,extreme takes are not something I take seriously,as some tend to sound the alarm early. It wasn't a stretch though,to say he came back early! He was a smart defender with good ability,if that ability is hampered then he is a Hainsey level player.
Last nights game should be a good confidence builder for those who were questioning whether he was still capable or not.

 

[93WrapAround]

He's looked good so far.
Not sure how they keep him and Gardiner though

Not sure many, including potentially Dubas, would want to keep Gardiner at a price/term he will fetch.

I've also been impressed by Zaitsev this year, he's been very "solid". I don't think he's necessarily been impressive, but he's turning into one of the few dependable D-men we have back there. At this point I feel comfortable with Reilly, Dermott, and Zaitsev going forward, the rest not so much.

 

[Ziggdiezan]

I absolutely love Zaitsev, and have never cried for us to dump him. He's easily our 2nd best defender and a RHD to boot.

I'd like to see Reilly - Zaitsev and Dermot with Gardiner.

Ya I have thought the following will happen and makes sense:

Rielly-Zaitsev
Gardiner-Dermott
Hainsey-Oz