Nikita Zadorov Discussion Part III

kchan9

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Oct 7, 2010
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I wonder, who's our number 1 D-man? Like seriously, who?

IMO, definitely not EJ this season. He's been hesitant and his outlet pass hasn't been good. Hope his play can turn around soon. Z needs to keep playing like this....beast mode!
 

Ivan13

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May 3, 2011
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In terms of meeting expectations I'd rank them like this:

  1. Cole - plays far above the level I expected
  2. Girard/Barrie - on level with what I expected. Ty would've been higher had he not sleepwalked for the first handful of games
  3. Zadorov - up and down, which is what I expect from him
  4. Nemeth - he is what he is, but still can be frustrating at times
  5. Barberio - same as Nemeth
  6. EJ - well below what I expect from him and what he used us to, in quality of play he is definitely above Z, Barbs and Nemeth, but relative to what is expected from him he is hands down the worst player on the team this year
 

henchman21

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I wonder, who's our number 1 D-man? Like seriously, who?

The Avs are running a pretty even top 4. EJ gets the most EV minutes, but Cole pulls harder duty.... neither really get much PP time. With EJ's play this season, it makes sense to lean harder on Cole in harder situations until EJ can play up to expectation. Girard and Barrie are typically along for the ride with those two, but subbed out when needed.
 

Avs71

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Aug 12, 2008
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It’s nice getting it done by committee. Means when Barrie is hurt like he is now, or suffering an EJ injury, there is depth to step up.
 
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Foppberg

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Nov 20, 2016
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How's Nikita Zadorov these days? He's 'happy' and feeling...

“Well, their skilled guys, they don’t like when they get hit,” Zadorov said. “Malkin, Crosby, Kessel. So that was my goal pretty much was to stay on them so they don’t like to play against me.”
Avalanche alternate captain and defenseman Erik Johnson said Zadorov has regained some of his confidence.
Johnson, who has played in more than 660 career games, said it can be difficult for a young defenseman to learning the nuances of the position at times.

“I think you gotta have some leniency in their development,” Johnson said. “Heck, I don’t think I felt like I really figured it out until I was 24, 25. You gotta have patience with guys like that. He’s so raw and he has such great skating ability. A guy like that, once he gets’s confidence, trusts his skating, trusts his hands and everything starts to fall into place for him."
 
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CobraAcesS

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How's Nikita Zadorov these days? He's 'happy' and feeling...

“Well, their skilled guys, they don’t like when they get hit,” Zadorov said. “Malkin, Crosby, Kessel. So that was my goal pretty much was to stay on them so they don’t like to play against me.”
Avalanche alternate captain and defenseman Erik Johnson said Zadorov has regained some of his confidence.
Johnson, who has played in more than 660 career games, said it can be difficult for a young defenseman to learning the nuances of the position at times.

“I think you gotta have some leniency in their development,” Johnson said. “Heck, I don’t think I felt like I really figured it out until I was 24, 25. You gotta have patience with guys like that. He’s so raw and he has such great skating ability. A guy like that, once he gets’s confidence, trusts his skating, trusts his hands and everything starts to fall into place for him."

There is a lot more in that article that is worth reading too.
 
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hooverdam

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Feb 21, 2013
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That EJ quote is so good. Man I really hope he can keep his legs for a while, even in a reduced role eventually. He's such a good leader for the young guys on the team.

I'm not one to place a premium on veteran leadership, and you have to be able to perform on the ice first and foremost. But EJ is kind of a fresh perspective in that he had to work on himself a lot to try and meet very high expectations and became a great player. That's really good experience for young players to hear about, coming from a better player than your typical try hard grinders that everyone glorifies for managing to stick in the NHL instead of going to work at Walgreens.
 
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Pokecheque

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What I especially love about all the Z hits tonight, no scrums afterwards. Probably because that's not Pittsburghs' game but still.


Precisely what a big hit should be. Not late, no targeting, no elbows or knees involved, just knocking a guy off the puck (and down). Both sides recognized it as an effective hockey play.

No doubt about it, when Z is playing smart, effective hockey, he is a delight to watch.

IMO it should be noted that the Avs really took it to the Pens physically, especially in that first period, and the Pens are by no means a soft team.
 

Foppberg

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Precisely what a big hit should be. Not late, no targeting, no elbows or knees involved, just knocking a guy off the puck (and down). Both sides recognized it as an effective hockey play.

No doubt about it, when Z is playing smart, effective hockey, he is a delight to watch.

IMO it should be noted that the Avs really took it to the Pens physically, especially in that first period, and the Pens are by no means a soft team.
Yup. When Z is on he's a reminder to everyone not to give up on him, he's only 23. For a defender that's nothing.
 

Ceremony

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I said it somewhere, I don't remember where or when, but I would have loved to see Zadorov and Foote on a pair in the mid nineties.
 

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