Nikita 'Not A Cap Dump' Zaitsev

[Welsh Maple Leaf]

Reilly playing well, Dermott improving, Zaitsev looking better and I’ve heard some say Marincin has looked good.

How has D been so putrid though. Can’t be all Gardiner and Hainsey.

 

[taurine330]

Reilly playing well, Dermott improving, Zaitsev looking better and I’ve heard some say Marincin has looked good.

How has D been so putrid though. Can’t be all Gardiner and Hainsey.

Most likely because overall team D has not been good.

 

[araisarena]

Reilly playing well, Dermott improving, Zaitsev looking better and I’ve heard some say Marincin has looked good.

How has D been so putrid though. Can’t be all Gardiner and Hainsey.

because our goalies won't post 88 SV% all season. Relax. Our defense has been fine. Good games vs Dallas and Red Wings (till score effects) defensively. Limit good scoring chances, be good in transition, and go score.

 

[araisarena]

I'm not a big fan of Zaitsev, and I like the use of stats to assist what I see, but I think Zaitsev has been fine. Think the tools are good, and he has been from my vantage point the only player other than Dermott that can get the puck back when it's in our own zone. He's been passing the puck better and isn't beating himself up if he makes a mistake. I think over the season the CF% will correct itself. His xGF% is over 50 which is good. His team is more likely to score when he is on the ice vs not.

 

[Menzinger]

Came across this today: yikes

 

[MagicalRazor]

He's a solid 3-4 for the money i wouldn't want him top pairing with Rielly but i'd love him as our number 3 hes been getting better hes making good strides in the right direction

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

i'd love to see him bumped down to the bottom pairing. he's brutal. Worst cf% and xgf% on the team, and no offense to speak of

 

[Kiwi]

Came across this today: yikes

Basically just reinforced my feelings about the player and his play

He's not good, add a 4.5M ticket and you've got a major issue

 

[Stephen]

I think he's still a cap dump. He still plays with a shakiness that would suggest in a playoff match the other team will try to overwhelm him. Watch him transition to a puck retrieval mode and you can see the tentativeness. His puck handling is somewhat panicked when there's even a bit of a forecheck. Compare him to Ozhiganov's steadiness it's not even close.

 

[robertmac43]

He looks much better than he did last year already. A nod to the fact that these athletes are in fact heavily impacted by things going on in their life which is often a forgotten thought by us fans!

 

[Mr Hockey]

Basically just reinforced my feelings about the player and his play

He's not good, add a 4.5M ticket and you've got a major issue

plays a ton a minutes, against anyone, kills penalties and he is a good 2nd pairing defensive guy on this team at 4.5 aav.

 

[zeke]

Zaitsev seems to be getting worse every year.

just has no panic threshold.

 

[Kiwi]

plays a ton a minutes, against anyone, kills penalties and he is a good 2nd pairing defensive guy on this team at 4.5 aav.

Handles the puck like a grenade

Loses his mind as soon as he gets put under pressure

Can't get the puck out of his own zone with control

Hasn't had a primary assist in about 60 games

Gets paid 4.5M to be a baaaaad second pairing defender

Just great

 

[Mr Hockey]

Handles the puck like a grenade

Loses his mind as soon as he gets put under pressure

Can't get the puck out of his own zone with control

Hasn't had a primary assist in about 60 games

Gets paid 4.5M to be a baaaaad second pairing defender

Just great

Naw, most of the time when he has trouble its Jake passing it to him when he is in a high risk situation. I dont think there is a Leaf player that knows what Jake is going to do when he has the puck ... should i stay or should i go, i dunno?

 

[Buds17]

Basically just reinforced my feelings about the player and his play

He's not good, add a 4.5M ticket and you've got a major issue

Ideally, he'd have more points and/or be on the even or positive side of the +/- ledger. Still, the isolated stat here paints only part of the picture. There are also secondary assists, and considering he's a PK and not a PP option, it can be argued that points might not be the best of focal points. He's also 3rd in ice time among d-men so far (and not too far off of 2nd). Definitely room for improvement, but I don't think he's been too bad.

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Don't know what people expect from this guy but he's looked fine to me. Definitely better than last year. Don't care so much about points like most do on here as long as he can get the puck out of our zone without turning it over or icing it like his partner loves to do.

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

plays a ton a minutes, against anyone, kills penalties and he is a good 2nd pairing defensive guy on this team at 4.5 aav.

he's a terrible 2nd pairing guy. he might be okay on the bottom pair, but his salary is way too much for that

 

[Gabriel426]

1. If he is a UFA last summer, there will be enough teams offering him 4.5mil/yr.
2. Take a look around the league, defenders in the 4.5mil range are pretty much what you will get for Zai.
3. As fans we all want the players to exceed their contract value but that’s really can’t be the case all the time.
4. Zai is a horse out there and he is solid in all areas. Just need a more stable partner than Jake.

 

[Gallagbi]

Naw, most of the time when he has trouble its Jake passing it to him when he is in a high risk situation. I dont think there is a Leaf player that knows what Jake is going to do when he has the puck ... should i stay or should i go, i dunno?

Funny thing is Zaitsev is the worst partner on the team and has been since he arrived. Gardiner draws a lot of attention and carries the play a lot with his exits. Zaitsev throws grenades to his partner on a regular basis and doesn't make himself a good option

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

1. If he is a UFA last summer, there will be enough teams offering him 4.5mil/yr.
2. Take a look around the league, defenders in the 4.5mil range are pretty much what you will get for Zai.
3. As fans we all want the players to exceed their contract value but that’s really can’t be the case all the time.
4. Zai is a horse out there and he is solid in all areas. Just need a more stable partner than Jake.

it's pretty unfair (and inaccurate) to call Gardiner the weak link on that pair. he's much better than Zaitsev

 

[BrannigansLaw]

Funny thing is Zaitsev is the worst partner on the team and has been since he arrived. Gardiner draws a lot of attention and carries the play a lot with his exits. Zaitsev throws grenades to his partner on a regular basis and doesn't make himself a good option

I'm going to have to disagree here. Gardiner has been a disaster with nearly every partner he's ever had and it shines through brightest when it matters most i.e. Game 7s. Can you name me anyone he's played with where he hasn't been a turnover machine?

 

[Paradoc]

it's pretty unfair (and inaccurate) to call Gardiner the weak link on that pair. he's much better than Zaitsev

They don't compliment each other that much considering both are incredibly weak under pressure. You forecheck them heavily and they will fail to get it out the majority of the time.

 

[Kiwi]

Naw, most of the time when he has trouble its Jake passing it to him when he is in a high risk situation. I dont think there is a Leaf player that knows what Jake is going to do when he has the puck ... should i stay or should i go, i dunno?

Gardiner is carrying that pair

He does the puck moving, he brings the creativity and he's the one that can get the puck out of our zone under control

Gardiner isn't the issue, it's the player he's paired with

Ideally, he'd have more points and/or be on the even or positive side of the +/- ledger. Still, the isolated stat here paints only part of the picture. There are also secondary assists, and considering he's a PK and not a PP option, it can be argued that points might not be the best of focal points. He's also 3rd in ice time among d-men so far (and not too far off of 2nd). Definitely room for improvement, but I don't think he's been too bad.

Everybody statistical metric says Zaitsev is a drag when he's on the ice

If the guy can't score what exactly can he do? He can't get the puck out of his own zone with control, deny zone entries or push possession in a positive direction

What else is there realistically?

 

[Gabriel426]

it's pretty unfair (and inaccurate) to call Gardiner the weak link on that pair. he's much better than Zaitsev

Would not call him a weak link. I said more stable. Someone who plays a more clear cut direct game than Jake.

 

[Gallagbi]

I'm going to have to disagree here. Gardiner has been a disaster with nearly every partner he's ever had and it shines through brightest when it matters most i.e. Game 7s. Can you name me anyone he's played with where he hasn't been a turnover machine?

I don't think you understand what I'm saying.

It's not a question of turnovers, it's a question of supporting your partner and putting them in a position to succeed. Gardiner has his issues, but he regularly makes himself a good option and pulls attention away from his partner.

Zaitsev on the hand doesn't know when to release/get open and always puts his partner in bad spots by passing to them under pressure, putting them on their backhand, etc..

He did this with Rielly year 1 and he's done it ever since.