Nikita Zadorov

[cgf]

The Russians don't really have a great track record against the Finns...

One of the many reasons it's so enjoyable to poke fun at russo-finnish tensions when you have to deal with a bunch of russian people

 

[The Kingslayer]

You lazy b******! This is why finns need a strong russian hand to guide them...

in tears right now from laughing so hard at this because I thought you used the other B word instead.

 

[UncleRisto]

The Russians don't really have a great track record against the Finns...

Yeah, well as much as I think this was a funny idea, I'd rather like just chill.
http://www.valtakunta.eu/suomi/suursuomi_isokartta.jpg

 

[Arcade Fire]

I'm not as high on Zadorov as some of you guys are. Having watched him this season regularly (in addition to some games last year) I'm yet to see him show a solid hockey IQ. I hope he proves me wrong but I doubt he will ever become more than a #4 D.

 

[lowol]

I think he makes a lot of smart plays in the defensive zone that you would usually associate with more experienced players, actually. He's very good at controlling the pace of opposing forwards near the boards with good body positioning and timely stickwork. I also like how he chooses his spots when jumping forward to jump-start a break-out. It resulted in quite a few controlled zone entries these last few games.

He still has a lot to work on - tighter gap control on opposing rushes, quicker decisions, better puck distribution, keeping his feet moving, toning down on the awful brain farts - but I'm definitely seeing a top-pairing defenceman in the making. He's so overwhelming physically that he'll make it work in spite of his deficiencies.

 

[Avs71]

I'm not sure how someone could say, "not more than a #4."

He is already playing almost 20 minutes a night, usually with a guy who should be in the AHL (and probably will be next year), and he is looking pretty good doing it. That right there is a guy carrying the second pairing.

He should pretty easily become a top pairing player, especially if he isn't the main guy on the pairing ( like when EJ was healthy).

 

[henchman21]

I'm not sure how someone could say, "not more than a #4."

He is already playing almost 20 minutes a night, usually with a guy who should be in the AHL (and probably will be next year), and he is looking pretty good doing it. That right there is a guy carrying the second pairing.

He should pretty easily become a top pairing player, especially if he isn't the main guy on the pairing ( like when EJ was healthy).

Tyutin will be in the NHL for a few more years.

Z's mental game will be the difference between him being a #3 that you always think can take the next step and a legit top pairing defender. He has to clean up his big errors and not be so lackadaisical.

 

[Avs71]

Tyutin will be in the NHL for a few more years.

Z's mental game will be the difference between him being a #3 that you always think can take the next step and a legit top pairing defender. He has to clean up his big errors and not be so lackadaisical.

In the last 10 games, he has almost played with Wiercioch, Tyutin, and Goloubef an equal amount, according to leftwinglock.

He is definitely too laid back with the puck sometimes. It's what leads to his horrible turnovers. If he wasn't giving away one huge turnover a game, coaches would probably trust him more, and he'd be borderline leading the defence.

 

[henchman21]

In the last 10 games, he has almost played with Wiercioch, Tyutin, and Goloubef an equal amount, according to leftwinglock.

Bef is the only one who might be in the AHL next year, and I doubt he would be there for the whole year. Teams will be okay with him as a 7-8 (probably the Avs).Tyuts and Wier will be in the NHL somewhere.

 

[SnoopDogg]

I don't usually check any team boards other than the Sabres but I'm hoping Zadorov becomes a stud for you guys, always loved him in Buffalo and hopefully he works out for you guys.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Tyutin will be in the NHL for a few more years.

Z's mental game will be the difference between him being a #3 that you always think can take the next step and a legit top pairing defender. He has to clean up his big errors and not be so lackadaisical.

I agree with this.
I used the word nonchalance yesterday to explain his mistakes. I think you are just trying to sound smarter than I am.

 

[Nalens Oga]

I'm not as impressed by Zads as some of you guys are. His physical tools are very impressive which is why I know people like him but his inconsistency is an issue. Young dmen do make mistakes for sure but he makes serious gaping mistakes every game. I like him and I think he's gonna be a good 2nd pairing guy for us in the future if he shores up a bit and with improved coaching but I'm not as delusional as some people who think he'll be a future #1 dman.

 

[S E P H]

He does have 3 points in his last three games so he is contributing offensively now. I still think his biggest weakness to this day is puck watching. However, out of those weaknesses, like skating, puck watching is quite fixable though takes time.

I'm not as impressed by Zads as some of you guys are. His physical tools are very impressive which is why I know people like him but his inconsistency is an issue. Young dmen do make mistakes for sure but he makes serious gaping mistakes every game. I like him and I think he's gonna be a good 2nd pairing guy for us in the future if he shores up a bit and with improved coaching but I'm not as delusional as some people who think he'll be a future #1 dman.

He's always been a risk taker, even in juniors. Mistakes like last night on Canucks 2nd goal need to be cleaned up, but the season is done. Let him go out there and play the game he wants to play and learn firsthand what is acceptable and what isn't. I doubt Zadorov will ever be a #1, but anyone saying he doesn't have a chance at being a solid #2 at 21 years old is freakin' nuts. None of us will have a solidified opinion about him until he's at least 24 which will be three seasons from now.

 

[henchman21]

I agree with this.
I used the word nonchalance yesterday to explain his mistakes. I think you are just trying to sound smarter than I am.

Totally trying ton one up!

To me that is just his biggest flaw. It leads to so many of his issues.... getting caught with the puck too long, fumbling the puck like last night, puck watching, etc. He just needs to learn when he can play like that, and when he can't (or just take it out of his game entirely).

 

[cgf]

I don't usually check any team boards other than the Sabres but I'm hoping Zadorov becomes a stud for you guys, always loved him in Buffalo and hopefully he works out for you guys.

This post may be fun for you:

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=127105497&postcount=915

 

[McMetal]

I think some of the skepticism about him has come with skewed expectations. At the beginning of the year, all we wanted out of him was to get a lot of playing time and to have a chance to make his mistakes and work on cleaning them up. Now, with injuries and Beauch dropping off the map, he's our de facto #1D, and people are starting to judge him in terms of him needing to be the best D on the team every night, which isn't fair. We all knew going in that he was not ready to be that yet.

I'm seeing steady improvement, increased playing time, and more aggressive play with the puck as far as rushing it out and taking more shots. Hard to be displeased with that based on my expectations in October.

 

[AllAboutAvs]

Totally trying ton one up!

To me that is just his biggest flaw. It leads to so many of his issues.... getting caught with the puck too long, fumbling the puck like last night, puck watching, etc. He just needs to learn when he can play like that, and when he can't (or just take it out of his game entirely).

Agree 100%.
One other thing I noticed for a while now with Z's mistakes. It seems a lot of his mistakes related to puck handling are caused by the puck sliding underneath the tip of his stick blade when attempting a pass or stick handling. I know I had that same problem for a while when I was younger until I switched to a blade that was more square at the tip. You can't believe how much it solved most of my turnovers (notwithstanding lack of skills lol).

Another solution could be to maybe use a little shorter stick which would help in having the blade flatter on the ice as the stick would be more up and down. In his case due to his style of play I would recommend a more squared blade tip.

 

[Foppa2118]

Totally trying ton one up!

To me that is just his biggest flaw. It leads to so many of his issues.... getting caught with the puck too long, fumbling the puck like last night, puck watching, etc. He just needs to learn when he can play like that, and when he can't (or just take it out of his game entirely).

It's something like that.

Not sure lackadaisical or nonchalance is exactly the right word though, because it implies laziness. Those are words I'd use for guys like Mitchell, Colborne, and Wiercioch.

Z though I think he's trying to be poised, and smooth with the puck like someone like Lidstrom, but I'm not sure he's processing the play quick enough, or if that style suits him at all.

EJ has the same problems that Z does with his puck movement. He tries to get a little too fancy sometimes, and it ends up making things worse. Rather than just getting the puck, and getting up and out with it.

Both guys need to just learn to read the play and make quicker decisions. When they wait that extra second because they're indecisive, or are waiting for an option to appear, rather than being assertive and creating options for themselves, that's when they get in trouble.

A lot of it involves keeping their feet moving too. They open up a lot more passing options for themselves when they do this.

 

[dahrougem2]

I think I'd actually prefer him making those big mistakes now instead of a multitude of mistakes.

He makes that one really, really big blunder per game it seems. If there's a way to coach him out of doing that, out of being so lackadaisical and fix that issue, I think you've got an absolute stud on your hands.

To me personally, it beats him making a bunch of mistakes during a game. It sounds weird because his big blunder can usually end up in our net (Anaheim, Vancouver), but if you can get that out of his game, watch out.

I think it'll be easier to correct him making that one big error than it would be trying to correct him making 7-8-9 mistakes per night.

 

[Former Ladder]

I think some of his mental errors are due to conditioning. Not to say he isn't in good shape now but he is starting to focus on it more and that will increase his sharpness and body awareness.

 

[Foppa2118]

I think I'd actually prefer him making those big mistakes now instead of a multitude of mistakes.

He makes that one really, really big blunder per game it seems. If there's a way to coach him out of doing that, out of being so lackadaisical and fix that issue, I think you've got an absolute stud on your hands.

To me personally, it beats him making a bunch of mistakes during a game. It sounds weird because his big blunder can usually end up in our net (Anaheim, Vancouver), but if you can get that out of his game, watch out.

I think it'll be easier to correct him making that one big error than it would be trying to correct him making 7-8-9 mistakes per night.

Agree totally. That's why I love him playing big minutes finally. He's got to learn by doing. Seeing examples of himself doing things wrong, and then it can be coachable. He can analyze what he was thinking at the time, and be more aware the next time.

If he's not playing minutes, and getting those examples, the coaches are just using hypothetical examples of how to play certain situations. It's much less effective as a teaching moment.

It worries me though that Bednar implied the only reason he's getting those minutes is because Barrie and EJ are out. I don't want to see him and Pratt put him back in the simplistic stay at home role he had before, when one or both return. He's got to work on his puck carrying, and decision making with the puck.

 

[The Kingslayer]

I think I'd actually prefer him making those big mistakes now instead of a multitude of mistakes.

He makes that one really, really big blunder per game it seems. If there's a way to coach him out of doing that, out of being so lackadaisical and fix that issue, I think you've got an absolute stud on your hands.

To me personally, it beats him making a bunch of mistakes during a game. It sounds weird because his big blunder can usually end up in our net (Anaheim, Vancouver), but if you can get that out of his game, watch out.

I think it'll be easier to correct him making that one big error than it would be trying to correct him making 7-8-9 mistakes per night.

100. I rather he make these mistakes now in a lost season than say 2-3 yrs from now when we might be competing for a playoff spot and where mistakes like that might be crucial in the standings.

 

[Gabe the Babe]

I think this stint at #1 for Zads is showing us all he can be a top pairing guy. They basically said alright sink or swim Nik. And while he's not playing like a top pair guy yet. He's showing flashes.

Those mental mistakes. It's awesome he's getting to learn what not to do in a lost season. It'll pay dividends even next year imo.

 

[Avs71]

Threw this together today. Hopefully didn't miss any of the biggest hits.



So glad to have this guy on the Avs.