Nikita Zadorov

[AvsRobin]

No own thread for the biggest piece in the deal?

Look who he deked out for his first NHL goal

Click to read more...

 

[Iracundia]

The most important player obtained in the last 3 days finally gets a PD thread.

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

No own thread for the biggest piece in the deal?

Look who he deked out for his first NHL goal

Nice move by Zadorov. Let's hope Soderberg has improved his defensive game.

 

[WeDislikeEich]

As a Buffalo fan, I can say you guys are going to LOVE Zadorov! The guys in the locker room are going to love him too. His personality and absolute love and passion for the game are infectious! The Sabres players loved this kid. Always had a smile on his face, even during one of the roughest seasons in Sabres history. I heard Sabres players and media talk about how much they loved this kids personality many times. Plus he is a potential top paring defenseman who did not look out of place in the NHL at 19. That is pretty special. He has the potential to be a very gifted offensive defenseman who can lay someone out like Scott Stevens! (and that's saying a LOT). Congrats on getting one of our best young defenseman (Not counting Bogosian, I put it Ristolainen and then either Pysyk or Zadorov, depending... Probably Pysyk right now but Z down the road).

 

[Namejs]

As a Buffalo fan, I can say you guys are going to LOVE Zadorov! The guys in the locker room are going to love him too. His personality and absolute love and passion for the game are infectious! The Sabres players loved this kid. Always had a smile on his face, even during one of the roughest seasons in Sabres history. I heard Sabres players and media talk about how much they loved this kids personality many times. Plus he is a potential top paring defenseman who did not look out of place in the NHL at 19. That is pretty special. He has the potential to be a very gifted offensive defenseman who can lay someone out like Scott Stevens! (and that's saying a LOT). Congrats on getting one of our best young defenseman (Not counting Bogosian, I put it Ristolainen and then either Pysyk or Zadorov, depending... Probably Pysyk right now but Z down the road).

As a Sabres fan, I can't really agree with you. He's sloppy and undisciplined off the ice, and he wasn't very convicing for the Sabres at all, if we ignore his age. You're making it sound like he's going to be a key player for the Avs next season, but he's still more of a project than an impact player. And, yes, he actually did look out of place a number of times last season and, yes, he did make some junior-level decisions on the ice.

With his size and physicality he's definitely going to be a good career NHL player, if his mind is going to be in the right place, but it still remains to be seen if he can actually reach his ceiling. It's all still very much up in the air.

 

[tigervixxxen]

The most important player obtained in the last 3 days finally gets a PD thread.

We had kinda been using the trade thread to discuss him but I agree he deserves his own thread so thanks Robin!

I do feel like getting Zadorov is a bit lost on folks (not here but more outside). Like that we just got some prospect back and not a key piece to our defense. One Denver media headline has it as "forwards traded for second round picks" I mean really.

I'm super excited to see him live and in action. I really hope a fresh start is good for him and to give him some confidence back. I know he's a pretty confident guy to begin with but it does seem like the last couple years took a toll on him. I expect some growing pains still but the Avs and Roy will believe in him and give him every opportunity to succeed. With so many people around here just hoping to put Bigras in a large role and just deal with the ups and downs I think we are prepared for that and take what his talents can give us while realizing he's still 20 years old.

Thought this was a pretty good recent interview.

http://thehockeywriters.com/interview-with-sabres-defenseman-nikita-zadorov/

– You played against many NHL stars. Who is the hardest forward to deal with?

– It’s hard to play against Zetterberg, he always “hides” the puck and it’s hard to negate him the possession. It’s hard to play against strong and fast forwards, like Kessel, MacKinnon, Giroux, Ovechkin… Stars are stars, everyone knows that if you give them even a single chance, they’re going to score.

 

[FoppaForsberg*]

As a Sabres fan, I can't really agree with you. He's sloppy and undisciplined off the ice, and he wasn't very convicing for the Sabres at all, if we ignore his age. You're making it sound like he's going to be a key player for the Avs next season, but he's still more of a project than an impact player. And, yes, he actually did look out of place a number of times last season and, yes, he did make some junior-level decisions on the ice.

With his size and physicality he's definitely going to be a good career NHL player, if his mind is going to be in the right place, but it still remains to be seen if he can actually reach his ceiling. It's all still very much up in the air.

Of course... few days ago he was a stud future star, now he's a huge question mark. [MOD]

 

[JoemAvs]

I just hope we are patient with him.

He has some immaturity issues and he is nowhere near the finished product.

He is 2 months younger than Bigras who will start in the AHL most likely.

Third pairing to start the season next to Stuart should be the best fit.

Sign Hejda (1 year deal) to play with Barrie and get one of Sekera/Martin/Ehrhoff for EJ to play with.


There will be injuries and Holden could sub in for Hejda/Stuart if Zadorov shows that we should play him next to Barrie.


The guy has all the tools. His upside is almost limitless. Now we have to develop him carefully.

 

[AvsRobin]

It's always good to be patient with younger players. But, if that means playing players who are worse than him above him, that wont do him or us any good. And same goes for putting one of our worst defenseman with him, and by that I mean Stuart and Guenin.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

I just hope we are patient with him.

He has some immaturity issues and he is nowhere near the finished product.

He is 2 months younger than Bigras who will start in the AHL most likely.

Third pairing to start the season next to Stuart should be the best fit.

Sign Hejda (1 year deal) to play with Barrie and get one of Sekera/Martin/Ehrhoff for EJ to play with.


There will be injuries and Holden could sub in for Hejda/Stuart if Zadorov shows that we should play him next to Barrie.


The guy has all the tools. His upside is almost limitless. Now we have to develop him carefully.

I would love to re-sign Hejda for another year so he can teach Zadorov some more of the defensive aspects of the game.

 

[cgf]

Truly scare toolset on this kid, loves to hit, can skate like the wind, has strong offensive instincts and just a laser from the point. Fun personality who should become a fan favorite quickly. Had a very strong first half of the season before getting more inconsistent in the second half; still struggles reading the play and so gets caught chasing in his own zone, and will make mistakes being too aggressive moving the puck/going for the Rob Blake hit.

Even though he still has work to do, holy **** could he be scary good next to Barrie if we're patient with him. Those two could be one of the most dangerous offensive pairings in the NHL in few years. Let Zads start the year running our third pairing and learning how to break up the cycle from Stuart, then as the season wears on move him up and bring Siemens or Bigras in from SA to take his spot on the third pairing.

With Zads, Meloche and our other draftees joining our organization, the future is looking crazy bright for the Colorado D.

 

[The Shermanator]

2016 Norris or bust.

 

[BB1133]

As a Sabres fan, I can't really agree with you. He's sloppy and undisciplined off the ice, and he wasn't very convicing for the Sabres at all, if we ignore his age. You're making it sound like he's going to be a key player for the Avs next season, but he's still more of a project than an impact player. And, yes, he actually did look out of place a number of times last season and, yes, he did make some junior-level decisions on the ice.

With his size and physicality he's definitely going to be a good career NHL player, if his mind is going to be in the right place, but it still remains to be seen if he can actually reach his ceiling. It's all still very much up in the air.

Apparently he came to camp out of shape and unmotivated, and then later got suspended twice during the season for off-ice stuff.

If he becomes a bust, people will say that the red flags were there.

That said, I really like the acquisition. He comes with a high pedigree, and a new environment could be better for his development, so I hope Roy and company can get the best out of him.

 

[Namejs]

Of course... few days ago he was a stud future star, now he's a huge question mark. [MOD]

I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not a member of any tribe and I don't belong to the collective hivemind of the Sabres boards. I just shared my opinion on him, having seen at least 50 of his games last season. And, no, it didn't change after the trade with you guys.

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

Of course... few days ago he was a stud future star, now he's a huge question mark. [MOD]

My thoughts exactly



Zads should be great. 15 points in 60 games as a Rookie Defenseman on one of the worst teams of the past decade is pretty good. Only being a -10 as well is decent considering the Sabres.



Excited to see how he gets used this year.

 

[BoHorvat 53]

As a Sabres fan, I can't really agree with you. He's sloppy and undisciplined off the ice, and he wasn't very convicing for the Sabres at all, if we ignore his age. You're making it sound like he's going to be a key player for the Avs next season, but he's still more of a project than an impact player. And, yes, he actually did look out of place a number of times last season and, yes, he did make some junior-level decisions on the ice.

With his size and physicality he's definitely going to be a good career NHL player, if his mind is going to be in the right place, but it still remains to be seen if he can actually reach his ceiling. It's all still very much up in the air.

Before the draft: "Zadorov is going to be a top-pairing defenceman in the NHL."
After the draft: "it's up in the air whether or not he's going to actually reach his ceiling."

Get the **** out with that ****, I've been watching Zadorov and initially I saw nothing more than a top-4 defenceman, but now I see the top-2 potential. Think of a Hedman-lite sort of player. Huge, skates like he's 5'11", outlet passes are an asset, etc.

 

[tigervixxxen]

You're making it sound like he's going to be a key player for the Avs next season

That was kinda the point of the whole trade

 

[TehDoak]

Sabres fan.

Zadorov definitely has all the pieces to be a top pairing d-man in the league. Great mobility, a natural "meanness" you love to see in D-men. He loves to hit and punish forwards. His offense is "limited", but that's not to say he's going to be a stay at home d-man. 20-30 points if he gets some PP time should be possible. He can get a little lost in his own zone from time to time, but, I think that is going to sort itself out as he grows. The big issues with him were maturity...which, again, should get fixed with age. It's probably good to get him to a more experienced dressing room with a few more vets around to help show him how to be a professional hockey player. His upside really is a brent seabrook type d-man.

 

[cgf]

There's a number of sabres fans who've been skeptical of the kid since he came into camp over-weight, can't trust them ruskies afterall and Risto being so much more polished made them assume Zads would be the bust (Sabres fans often brace for the worst). His play in the first half of the season silenced them, but when he started struggling in the second half and his inclusion in this trade grew more likely they started crawling back out of the woodwork to rail against him on their own board.

And I get the concerns, he can be too aggressive looking for the big-hit/perfect-pinch and he has a lot to learn in his own zone to keep from chasing the play like he is want to do; but I'm confident in Roy and co to be patient with him and turn him into the monster he can be. Kid's just turned 20 a couple months ago, if he didn't have a lot to learn no one would trade him at any price (not even Boston). With his rocket, love of hitting, physical tools, and skills he can be a lefty version of Seabrook, Blake, or even Weber if we're patient with his development. It all depends on how well his defensive game develops and whether we can develop it without neutering his offensive gifts.

 

[agentblack]

He did put a mean hit on Dutchy that one game in BUF

 

[Alex Jones]

Avs still need to get a defenseman for this season, as of right now the Avs are a worse team than one that missed the playoffs last season.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Avs still need to get a defenseman for this season, as of right now the Avs are a worse team than one that missed the playoffs last season.

Not true at all. Holden basically played top played LD for godsakes. ROR> Soderberg is not equal to Zadorov > Holden. And considering McGinn never played last year Grig is > him.

Yes, adding one more D will make it complete but this team is better today.

And that doesn't include Rantanen...

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

Avs still need to get a defenseman for this season, as of right now the Avs are a worse team than one that missed the playoffs last season.

I agree. I think we are worse right now, but If we can add one top-4 defenseman and top-9 player for offense, I think we would clearly upgrade for now AND THE FUTURE..

 

[Avsboy]

Avs still need to get a defenseman for this season, as of right now the Avs are a worse team than one that missed the playoffs last season.

I disagree. I take Soderberg, Grigorenko, Zadorov and probably Rantanen over O'Reilly and McGinn. More depth, more D. Probably even more offense if you combine the likely points of Soderberg and Grigorenko.

 

[AvsRobin]

Avs still need to get a defenseman for this season, as of right now the Avs are a worse team than one that missed the playoffs last season.

You can argue that but we'll see after free agency.