Prospect Info: Nikita Zadorov (2013, 16th) – '14-15: Buffalo (NHL) – 2015: Graduated + traded to Avs

[La Cosa Nostra]

Zadorov has been pretty decent the last 3 games overall. Still not happy with the whole situation but if it means Benoit is off the ice and in the press box I am all for keeping him in the lineup.

 

[jBuds]

Zadorov has been pretty decent the last 3 games overall. Still not happy with the whole situation but if it means Benoit is off the ice and in the press box I am all for keeping him in the lineup.

I think he's more pros than cons at this point. Though I see he argument from both sides, I'm a believer in the value of the mini bug three being right here right now (fatboy slim ZG NZ RR)

 

[Wisent42]

I'm excited to see 51 putting his game together and I hope he does. Still missing some things though. Haven't seen a lot of physicality lately or at least not consistently, needs to take a look before he makes that first pass, he occasionally gives it away in the D zone, sometimes gets beat 1 on 1, and maybe be more choosy when pushing into the O zone. I see Risto icing the puck a lot, maybe Dads needs to help out a bit more to make himself a target and maybe they breed to play a bit more together. Probably both.

About this, it could be part of his development and learning. Earlier he ran around chasing hits, so the "lack" of physicalitiy may well be him trying to stand back a little, work on his positioning, learning to value every situation right. That may have the effect that he becomes a bit to passive instead until he finds the balance.

As for the rest, I agree. The kid is in some ways in over his head and has to learn in the big league what he should be learning in the AHL but can't, because reasons. Still, he is handling it well, he has the coaching staff's trust and it's not like the game falls apart because of him. Not any more than usual, anyway. Besides, he could perform a full brainectomy and still outplay Benoit and Meszaros.

 

[Matt Ress]

About this, it could be part of his development and learning. Earlier he ran around chasing hits, so the "lack" of physicalitiy may well be him trying to stand back a little, work on his positioning, learning to value every situation right. That may have the effect that he becomes a bit to passive instead until he finds the balance.

As for the rest, I agree. The kid is in some ways in over his head and has to learn in the big league what he should be learning in the AHL but can't, because reasons. Still, he is handling it well, he has the coaching staff's trust and it's not like the game falls apart because of him. Not any more than usual, anyway. Besides, he could perform a full brainectomy and still outplay Benoit and Meszaros.

Makes a lot of sense. The unfortunate side effect of Zad becoming a better NHL defender is we don't get to see crazy Zadorov blowing guys up and being a kid. Kinda miss the excitement.

 

[jBuds]

I just love how he is progressing offensively.

The word in his draft year was something akin to his Russian upbringing placed a discouragement or ignoring of the offensive side of the position, and his meteoric leap in terms of creating by joining the Rush was only the scratching of the surface.

Just please, stop the stick banging

 

[Matt Ress]

I just love how he is progressing offensively.

The word in his draft year was something akin to his Russian upbringing placed a discouragement or ignoring of the offensive side of the position, and his meteoric leap in terms of creating by joining the Rush was only the scratching of the surface.

Just please, stop the stick banging

Haha. He's open bro!

 

[jBuds]

Haha. He's open bro!

You Muh Muh Muh make me happpayyy.

Tugger!

It's a recipe for turnovers. If a teammate falls folly to the stick tap, any opponent can do it and force a pass to get the puck. Drives me bhonnquersze.

 

[DixonWard15]

@BillHoppeNHL 6m
#Sabres plan to keep Nikita Zadorov in NHL http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-plan-to-keep-nikita-zadorov/

https://twitter.com/BillHoppeNHL/status/534402436988153856

 

[Matt Ress]

@BillHoppeNHL 6m
#Sabres plan to keep Nikita Zadorov in NHL http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/sabres-plan-to-keep-nikita-zadorov/

https://twitter.com/BillHoppeNHL/status/534402436988153856

Thanks DixonWard. Not a big surprise there. Through all the speculation, it seems that attitude and conditioning were big factors for him moving forward. This year, hopefully little Z soaks up the culture of an NHL club; discipline, hard work, eating right, being a man on and off the ice while maintaining his childish excitement for the game.

 

[Matt Ress]

It's a recipe for turnovers. If a teammate falls folly to the stick tap, any opponent can do it and force a pass to get the puck. Drives me bhonnquersze.

That's the truth, Budz. Probably annoying as hell too for his mates.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

@BillHoppeNHL

How Nikita Zadorov changed his life +became a #Sabres regular http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/maturity-has-helped-sabres-nikita-zadorov-become-nhl-regular/

"Things in part of his life he had to change." #Buffalo

 

[joshjull]

@BillHoppeNHL

How Nikita Zadorov changed his life +became a #Sabres regular http://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/maturity-has-helped-sabres-nikita-zadorov-become-nhl-regular/

"Things in part of his life he had to change." #Buffalo

Zadorov, Nolan said, had “to go through certain steps in order to get” where he’s reached today.

Nolan said what he just experienced with Zadorov is “kind of déjà vu again.” As a junior coach in Sault Ste. Marie, Nolan and his staff mentored Chris Simon.

“His career was going one way,” Nolan said about Simon. “We put him on a certain type of program in order for him to dig himself out of it, and he did. He went on to have a really great career.”

Simon played 782 NHL games.

Nolan and the team used the same approach with Zadorov.“We had some veterans on the team helping him go through it,” he said. “We had some coaches work him extra, strength and conditioning coach Doug McKenney work him extra. It was a team buildup to help a young man reach his potential.

“To watch it grow over the last month was pretty special. So now we got to worry about just keeping it going.”

Nice to see it was all hands on deck across the team and coaches working to get Zads where he needs to be.

Very curious and mildly concerned over what the off ice stuff is.

 

[Moskau]

Very curious and mildly concerned over what the off ice stuff is.

Wonder if he's just very home sick. I'd imagine it's been a very long last three years. Being drafted and coming over. Memorial cup games and WJC games. Being injured last season and being sent back down to London only to be overworked on most nights. Playing nearly 40 minutes a game some nights this spring. As far as I know his best friends on the team are all in Rochester at the moment.

 

[Jacob582]

Very curious and mildly concerned over what the off ice stuff is.

He was addicted to Big Macs!!

 

[Namejs]

Wonder if he's just very home sick. I'd imagine it's been a very long last three years. Being drafted and coming over. Memorial cup games and WJC games. Being injured last season and being sent back down to London only to be overworked on most nights. Playing nearly 40 minutes a game some nights this spring. As far as I know his best friends on the team are all in Rochester at the moment.

Yeah, I guess that's why Nolan brought up Chris Simon, because he too was so home sick he had to join a specific type of programme to help cure that.

 

[jBuds]

Nice to see it was all hands on deck across the team and coaches working to get Zads where he needs to be.

Very curious and mildly concerned over what the off ice stuff is.

Color me surprised - and alarmed - by the tone of that piece. You cringe at the thought of off ice issues so strong that the entire organization, from coaches and management to actual teammates, had to pitch in to remedy them.

Yikes.

Double yikes. I'm so curious to get inside information on this front.

 

[Matt Ress]

Eh, I don't think he was doing rails in the locker room or anything. Maybe that supreme confidence made him a bit too lax in his approach to games and the season. He's definitely more polished now compared to last season. Or maybe it's the rails who knows. Haha

 

[Push Dr Tracksuit]

Color me surprised - and alarmed - by the tone of that piece. You cringe at the thought of off ice issues so strong that the entire organization, from coaches and management to actual teammates, had to pitch in to remedy them.

Yikes.

Double yikes. I'm so curious to get inside information on this front.

Especially considering Chris Simin's issues was his addiction to alcohol. With Simon those issues were also manifestations of some much deeper psychological issues that effected him his entire career.

 

[Ralonzo]

Next you'll be telling me that Russians like to drink...

<-- (see avatar)

 

[Sabre the Win]

If Zadarovs off ice issues are alcohol this is only going to fuel the rumours from HF Posters that Tim Murray has a growng bias towards drafting Russians after he thought Barbeshev would become an alcoholic or drug fiend as well.

 

[Moskau]

Yeah, I guess that's why Nolan brought up Chris Simon, because he too was so home sick he had to join a specific type of programme to help cure that.

Do you really think Nolan is tactless enough to bring up Chris Simon because Zad is going through the same issues Simon was? Lets get real.

 

[Chainshot]

Simon is probably the best "project" player to come out of a CHL team under Nolan's guidance, off-ice issues aside. Zads, for as far as he's come, is still a work in progress.

 

[OkimLom]

Color me surprised - and alarmed - by the tone of that piece. You cringe at the thought of off ice issues so strong that the entire organization, from coaches and management to actual teammates, had to pitch in to remedy them.

Yikes.

Double yikes. I'm so curious to get inside information on this front.

I guess it depends on how you want to read this. It really doesn't bother me and actually calms my nerves with how the organization is currently ran when it comes to development.

To me it sounds as if Zadorov had a lot of growing up to do to become a professional. If it takes the veterans, who were brought in to help with this exact thing, and a coaching staff who were hired to help with development of these kids, then good. Zadorov comes across as a Russian Kid who likes to have fun and maybe that fun distracted him from growing as a professional.

I think we're a little "blessed" to have Girgensons and Risto as our most recent young kids developing as they come across as guys who really don't need much "monitoring"; as Girgs has a veteran-like work ethic, and Risto who came from a men's league in Finland after two years. Not all these kids are the same. I think the same issues Zadorov went through is exactly what Grigorenko had to do as well.

I'm not worried one bit. It sounds like the people hired to and signed to do their jobs have done just that.

 

[CatsforReinhart]

Meh.....19 year olds who drink too much. Nothing new, Kane won a cup and he seems to be doing fine....

Back in the day lots of NHL players played on drugs or were drunk. Ok maybe not lots but I think we put them on a pedestal and make them something more then human.

What 19 year old male doesn't drink too much?

 

[Fearnot]

Meh.....19 year olds who drink too much. Nothing new, Kane won a cup and he seems to be doing fine....

Back in the day lots of NHL players played on drugs or were drunk. Ok maybe not lots but I think we put them on a pedestal and make them something more then human.

What 19 year old male doesn't drink too much?

I'm with you buddy, next stop!