Value of: Nikita Zadorov (Offseason)

[RockyMtnRedhawk]

I haven't watched much of Zads since his departure from Buffalo. Is he a solid top-4 defenseman? Or more of a bottom pairing guy with a ton of snarl?

I'd say he's a second pairing guy on most teams, and a third pairing guy on great teams. His consistency has been the biggest issue. He has games where he's capable of completely shutting down and frustrating star players, and other games in which he looks lost and blows coverage. Bednar has had to bench him on occasion as a result. It has become more evident that Bednar just doesn't trust him as much as some of the other Avs d-men, and with Byram and Timmins likely being in the lineup next year, Z seems to be the odd man out for next season. Z definitely has a lot of positive aspects though, and his threat of big hits can definitely have an impact on the way other teams play against the Avs. He also seems to be very well-liked in the room; he's a funny guy.

 

[RoyIsALegend]

Sakic could recoup a couple of picks with him at the draft; thinking 2nd + 4th type of package.

 

[Northern Avs Fan]

I haven't watched much of Zads since his departure from Buffalo. Is he a solid top-4 defenseman? Or more of a bottom pairing guy with a ton of snarl?

He’s a bottom pair caliber guy. Not as much snarl as he used to have, but he does still provide some physical play.

 

[Patagonia]

Did he piss himself?

Wiping the Habs stench off his body.

 

[Hasbro]

Could we interest you in Logan Stanely? he's 6'7!

 

[Hasbro]

Sakic could recoup a couple of picks with him at the draft; thinking 2nd + 4th type of package.

Given the current crop of prospects, I’d like the picks too so you could stagger their entry to the league for a few years when the Avalanche will need some replacements (or trade bait).

The alternative is using him for a vet to improve the forward corp, but I think that kind of trade will probably be with a team looking to clear cap who won’t be interested in a vet.

 

[Richard88]

3.2M bottom pairing inconsistent dman for sale. Any takers??

Hahaha, one or two round robin meaningless games and now he’s fully ensconced in his role?.. hahaHa that doesn’t change his Overpaid bottom pairing Inconsistent career to date.

good luck with him! I really hope he remains an Av

Why am I not surprised to see you with the first reply to this thread after it got bumped? It's almost like you have a buzzer that goes off every time Zadorov gets mentioned on these boards, regardless of context. Just a really odd obsession.

If any NHL GM’s are even half as obsessed with Nikita Zadorov as you are, Avs fans are in for a treat.

No kidding...

If 5.5M for 50+ points is overpaid then no luck is needed. But why bring up Drouin in a Zadorov thread? Try to stay on topic please.

I love how you say 50+ points as if he brings that on a regular basis. The guy is 25 and has only hit 50 points twice in 6 seasons. His points per 60 is lower than Lehkonen.

But yes, you're right that this is a Zadorov thread so discussion about Drouin has nothing to do in this thread.

 

[My3Sons]

Why doesn't COL extend Zadorov? They have cap space and he seems to be a popular guy on the team and plays reasonably well even if inconsistent. Is a second round pick really going to make a big difference for COL? They are past the rebuilding stage at this point and Zads is young enough to contribute for the foreseeable future. Maybe SEA takes him in the expansion draft but maybe they don't.

 

[Hasbro]

Why doesn't COL extend Zadorov? They have cap space and he seems to be a popular guy on the team and plays reasonably well even if inconsistent.

Roster space. Makar, Girard, Graves firmly entrenched themselves in the top 4, E Johnson has a NMC, Cole is making $4.25 for another year and Byram and possibly Timmins will need a spot next year. $3ish for the 7th defenseman can be better spent elsewhere.

Would love to send him off with a cup win though.

 

[JoemAvs]

Why doesn't COL extend Zadorov? They have cap space and he seems to be a popular guy on the team and plays reasonably well even if inconsistent. Is a second round pick really going to make a big difference for COL? They are past the rebuilding stage at this point and Zads is young enough to contribute for the foreseeable future. Maybe SEA takes him in the expansion draft but maybe they don't.

Price could be an issue.
Also need space for Bowen Byram and he hasn't meshed as well with Makar as Graves and with a flat cap nobody wants Cole...

And as I alluded earlier on he is the whipping boy for many Avs fans so he is the guy together with Jost that fans want to move to create some offseason excitement I guess...

I wouldn't trade him for a 2nd personally. Expansion draft protection certainly is an issue as well but if they take Zads they can't take one of our goalies or forwards so I don't see any reason to get rid off him...

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Why am I not surprised to see you with the first reply to this thread after it got bumped? It's almost like you have a buzzer that goes off every time Zadorov gets mentioned on these boards, regardless of context. Just a really odd obsession.


No kidding...


I love how you say 50+ points as if he brings that on a regular basis. The guy is 25 and has only hit 50 points twice in 6 seasons. His points per 60 is lower than Lehkonen.

But yes, you're right that this is a Zadorov thread so discussion about Drouin has nothing to do in this thread.

He's averaged 53 points over his NHL career. That's a 50 point player at worst. Math may not be your strong-suit, but i will give you a pass on that. The Avs obsession with Drouin is very strange. Why do they bring him up in a Zadorov thread?

Do you have anything to say regarding my comments on Zadorov? Bottom pairing, inconsistent dmen earning 3.2M are not exactly a commodity in a flat cap world. I can't imagine much interest unless a similar contract is going the other way.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

Ooooh i'm sure the Habs are quaking in their boots worried that the Maple Leafs would acquire him. Come to think of it, why would they acquire him when he might not earn a roster spot? Last thing the Leafs need is a 3.2M bottom pairing dman. They need to purge salary and not take on unnecessary cap.

 

[Patagonia]

Why doesn't COL extend Zadorov? They have cap space and he seems to be a popular guy on the team and plays reasonably well even if inconsistent. Is a second round pick really going to make a big difference for COL? They are past the rebuilding stage at this point and Zads is young enough to contribute for the foreseeable future. Maybe SEA takes him in the expansion draft but maybe they don't.

I believe most AVs fans wants to keep him, but as mentioned roster space, salary demands or EX Draft. It happens when a team has options, can't keep everyone.

 

[Richard88]

He's averaged 53 points over his NHL career. That's a 50 point player at worst. Math may not be your strong-suit, but i will give you a pass on that. The Avs obsession with Drouin is very strange. Why do they bring him up in a Zadorov thread?

Do you have anything to say regarding my comments on Zadorov? Bottom pairing, inconsistent dmen earning 3.2M are not exactly a commodity in a flat cap world. I can't imagine much interest unless a similar contract is going the other way.

Doing that math Drouin has averaged 49.1 points. Rounding up I'll concede that he's basically a 50 point forward. But I don't think he's a very good one given that he scores at a 3rd line pace in terms of points per 60, and he brings nothing defensively.

Zadorov is only a bottom pairing Dman because the Avs are incredibly deep on D. On many other teams he'd be a top 4D; probably not on contenders though.

 

[Richard88]

I believe most AVs fans wants to keep him, but as mentioned roster space, salary demands or EX Draft. It happens when a team has options, can't keep everyone.

I wouldn't mind if we QO'd Zadorov again and instead traded Cole. Zadorov-Timmins would be a real nice 3rd pairing. Zadorov can then be exposed in the expansion draft.

I think we'll let Cole run down his contract though.

 

[Hasbro]

I wouldn't mind if we QO'd Zadorov again and instead traded Cole. Zadorov-Timmins would be a real nice 3rd pairing. Zadorov can then be exposed in the expansion draft.

I think we'll let Cole run down his contract though.

Cole doesn’t have any trade value and his $4.25M will come in handy in ‘21-22.

 

[Richard88]

Cole doesn’t have any trade value and his $4.25M will come in handy in ‘21-22.

Cole does have trade value, probably like a late 2nd or early 3rd. He's a very good 5th Dman with lot's of playoff experience.

In 2021/22 both Cole (2020 trade) and Zadorov (2021 trade / expansion draft) would be off the books.

 

[S3rkie]

Good luck with your own overpaid player.

View attachment 358363

how have I never seen this gif before lol

 

[GirardSpinorama]

I think we need to keep him. We don't have anyone that offers his massive hits.

 

[My3Sons]

Price could be an issue.
Also need space for Bowen Byram and he hasn't meshed as well with Makar as Graves and with a flat cap nobody wants Cole...

And as I alluded earlier on he is the whipping boy for many Avs fans so he is the guy together with Jost that fans want to move to create some offseason excitement I guess...

I wouldn't trade him for a 2nd personally. Expansion draft protection certainly is an issue as well but if they take Zads they can't take one of our goalies or forwards so I don't see any reason to get rid off him...

Price shouldn't be an issue though since COL has a good cap situation. I just don't see the obvious trade that really makes sense for COL. If a mediocre to bad team offers a second that's not terrible value but that's statistically a player that's five years away from the draft and if COL doesn't win a cup in the interim Sakic may be gone by then. He's entering win now territory even though he will try to deny it. Zadorov is a win now player. He's also your classic worth more to the team than in a trade sort of player. On a third pair he should offer a nice change of pace to the finesse guys.

I think one of the problems with trading him is that where is the similar situated forward that would actually have an impact in COL? Some other team's third liner? I imagine COL can grab any number of cast off veterans this offseason to play in the bottom six. I'd just sign him and be glad he's on my third pair.

 

[My3Sons]

I believe most AVs fans wants to keep him, but as mentioned roster space, salary demands or EX Draft. It happens when a team has options, can't keep everyone.

It's not an ideal offseason to try to trade him. An RFA looking to get paid and probably wanting to get to UFA is a short term option for whoever trades for him with the flat cap. That limits trade partners which in turn limits a trade return. How many RFA years does Zadorov have left? One or two? Maybe just sign him for that term and then let him go in UFA when he's likely to just go to wherever he gets the best offer anyway.

 

[KingsOfCali25]

Sakic could recoup a couple of picks with him at the draft; thinking 2nd + 4th type of package.

I'd do that from LA. Vegas 2nd + Calgary 4th for Zadorov.

 

[Djp]

Roster space. Makar, Girard, Graves firmly entrenched themselves in the top 4, E Johnson has a NMC, Cole is making $4.25 for another year and Byram and possibly Timmins will need a spot next year. $3ish for the 7th defenseman can be better spent elsewhere.

Would love to send him off with a cup win though.

My observation...

Girard*-Makar*
Graves-Johnson*
Zadorov-????
Cole

I don’t know who could play on right side
The * are eho you would protect.
Graves and Zadorov are both LD and RFAs
I am assuming you would not protect 4D.

Thst rmpty RD coukd gonto Timmins


The smart move would be to sign Graves and Zadarov to 3 yr contracts and ziti I s also is exposed to the ED with likelihood of losing one.

In 21/22 is when Byram plays on LD paired with Timmins or one of the LD.

In planning your roster you usually look to have a vet Dman in 7D role. Since you have some cheaper Dmen you can have a more expensive D on the roster. Cole woukd be that bottom pair person next year or 7th. The next season it could be one of the veterans who could spare the youngsters.

Having an experience 7th Dmen eho can sub anyone is good to have.

 

[Djp]

Roster space. Makar, Girard, Graves firmly entrenched themselves in the top 4, E Johnson has a NMC, Cole is making $4.25 for another year and Byram and possibly Timmins will need a spot next year. $3ish for the 7th defenseman can be better spent elsewhere.

Would love to send him off with a cup win though.

My observation...

Girard*-Makar*
Graves-Johnson*
Zadorov-????
Cole

I don’t know who could play on right side
The * are eho you would protect.
Graves and Zadorov are both LD and RFAs
I am assuming you would not protect 4D.

Thst rmpty RD coukd gonto Timmins


The smart move would be to sign Graves and Zadarov to 3 yr contracts and ziti I s also is exposed to the ED with likelihood of losing one.

In 21/22 is when Byram plays on LD paired with Timmins or one of the LD.

In planning your roster you usually look to have a vet Dman in 7D role. Since you have some cheaper Dmen you can have a more expensive D on the roster. Cole woukd be that bottom pair person next year or 7th. The next season it could be one of the veterans who could spare the youngsters.

Having an experience 7th Dmen eho can sub anyone is good to have.

 

[Djp]

Roster space. Makar, Girard, Graves firmly entrenched themselves in the top 4, E Johnson has a NMC, Cole is making $4.25 for another year and Byram and possibly Timmins will need a spot next year. $3ish for the 7th defenseman can be better spent elsewhere.

Would love to send him off with a cup win though.

My observation...

Girard*-Makar*
Graves-Johnson*
Zadorov-????
Cole

I don’t know who could play on right side
The * are eho you would protect.
Graves and Zadorov are both LD and RFAs
I am assuming you would not protect 4D.

Thst rmpty RD coukd gonto Timmins


The smart move would be to sign Graves and Zadarov to 3 yr contracts and ziti I s also is exposed to the ED with likelihood of losing one.

In 21/22 is when Byram plays on LD paired with Timmins or one of the LD.

In planning your roster you usually look to have a vet Dman in 7D role. Since you have some cheaper Dmen you can have a more expensive D on the roster. Cole woukd be that bottom pair person next year or 7th. The next season it could be one of the veterans who could spare the youngsters.

Having an experience 7th Dmen eho can sub anyone is good to have.