Nikita Zaitsev isnt as bad as everyone thinks

[ottomaddox]

I would never say he's bad. More like average. He's paid slightly more than you'd like to.

 

[Eric Robson]

i dont mind him if he plays on our 3rd pairing and plays the PK. yes he is overpaid but i agree he is still a nhl caliber player just on the defenesive side and no offensive game at all. He reminds me of anton volchenckov or whatever his name was on the Devils who blocked all those shots.

It's not his fault babcock plays him with gardiner on the 2nd pairing. If he was on the third i think we wouldnt notice him as much in a good way

Couldnt have said it better my self

 

[Nalens Oga]

I focused really hard on just the dmen in the Tampa game (skipped the Panthers one cos the team was pissing me off). I wrote a long post on it and the one thing I concluded was that I still don't know what to make of Zaitsev. He has the potential to be the 2nd best dman on the team behind Rielly but I can't definitively say that he's actually bad defensively.

Gardiner on the other hand should not be employed by any team planning to win a cup, he's defensively awful and you don't have to focus on dmen to see it. With Zaitsev, I feel he benefits with any team that has a good coaching structure rather than the Leafs who let's face it, have one of the worst coaching structures in the league right now.

 

[Duke Silver]

"Nikita Zaitsev isn't as bad as everyone thinks."

*provides zero evidence*

??????

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

He's probably worse than the average leafs fan thinks

 

[rent free]

he's worse than everyone thinks he is. he is an ahler making 4.5 million dollars for the next half decade after this season

 

[rimshot]

He plays with tunnel vision these days and relies entirely on throwing it up or down the boards. He needs to slow down and play with some composure.

I do not so much mind him throwing it up the boards to a teammate. I just hate it when he throws it to an opposition player. I don't like it when he throws it back to a covered teammate ( usually Gardiner) and I especially hate it when he blindly throws it back to an uncovered opposition player like in the game deciding play against Boston, Saturday night last.

 

[Kiwi]

He's probably worse than the average leafs fan thinks

He's a better skating Polak making 4.5M with 5 more years left on his deal

**** me he needs to go

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

He's a better skating Polak making 4.5M with 5 more years left on his deal

**** me he needs to go

at least Polak has a 5v5 primary point this year. two, in fact. higher p/60 as well, and in a much worse offensive situation

 

[CelticDruid]

I focused really hard on just the dmen in the Tampa game (skipped the Panthers one cos the team was pissing me off). I wrote a long post on it and the one thing I concluded was that I still don't know what to make of Zaitsev. He has the potential to be the 2nd best dman on the team behind Rielly but I can't definitively say that he's actually bad defensively.

Gardiner on the other hand should not be employed by any team planning to win a cup, he's defensively awful and you don't have to focus on dmen to see it. With Zaitsev, I feel he benefits with any team that has a good coaching structure rather than the Leafs who let's face it, have one of the worst coaching structures in the league right now.

Zaitsev is a train wreck and if you think he is a better hockey player than Gardiner.....................

Enough said.

 

[Kiwi]

at least Polak has a 5v5 primary point this year. two, in fact. higher p/60 as well, and in a much worse offensive situation

It's pretty sobering when you start looking at his numbers

I honestly don't know how anybody could be that unproductive on this team playing those types of minutes, it's like he's trying not to score

 

[CantLoseWithMatthews]

It's pretty sobering when you start looking at his numbers

I honestly don't know how anybody could be that unproductive on this team playing those types of minutes, it's like he's trying not to score

part of it stems from how terrible he is at breaking the puck out. Frankly, the Leafs can't afford a player with his complete inability to do anything good with the puck in his own end playing those kind of minutes. he ruins his pairing, and hurts the forwards he plays with as well. he's not a fit on the team whatsoever

 

[Kiwi]

part of it stems from how terrible he is at breaking the puck out. Frankly, the Leafs can't afford a player with his complete inability to do anything good with the puck in his own end playing those kind of minutes. he ruins his pairing, and hurts the forwards he plays with as well. he's not a fit on the team whatsoever

You'd think he'd fall into a couple of primary points through straight out luck but he can't even do that

His shot never getting through doesn't help as well as his complete inability to move the puck ino

 

[Buds17]

He logs a lot of minutes, and playing on the PK is certainly different from the PP. Still, I'd have expected a bit more in terms of production. There's considerable cap and term left on his contract. If a team views that as a positive, I'd understand moving him.

 

[stickty111]

part of it stems from how terrible he is at breaking the puck out. Frankly, the Leafs can't afford a player with his complete inability to do anything good with the puck in his own end playing those kind of minutes. he ruins his pairing, and hurts the forwards he plays with as well. he's not a fit on the team whatsoever

His type also completely goes against what Dubas wants in a defenceman.

 

[tmlms13]

Z's blind backhand wheel passes are getting very tiresome

 

[Nineteen67]

Can they send him and Marleau, for eg., to the minors? I think they’d have to pass through waivers and I know there are rules on veterans in rhe AHL but if neither can be traded does it help the cap?
Too lazy to read the CBA

 

[Macallan18]

No, he is not as bad.
He is far worse, both in metrics and the eye test.
He makes Gardiner look bad, even more than Phaneuf did.
And unless we deal him before hie limited NTC kicks in we have I think 5 more years?????
Best evidence that Lou is senile.

 

[Macallan18]

Can they send him and Marleau, for eg., to the minors? I think they’d have to pass through waivers and I know there are rules on veterans in rhe AHL but if neither can be traded does it help the cap?
Too lazy to read the CBA

Marleau has a no move clause.

 

[Suntouchable13]

How did he get 7 years? WTF?

 

[Macallan18]

I focused really hard on just the dmen in the Tampa game (skipped the Panthers one cos the team was pissing me off). I wrote a long post on it and the one thing I concluded was that I still don't know what to make of Zaitsev. He has the potential to be the 2nd best dman on the team behind Rielly but I can't definitively say that he's actually bad defensively.

Gardiner on the other hand should not be employed by any team planning to win a cup, he's defensively awful and you don't have to focus on dmen to see it. With Zaitsev, I feel he benefits with any team that has a good coaching structure rather than the Leafs who let's face it, have one of the worst coaching structures in the league right now.

Yeah, wish we had a dislike button for posts like this.
Gardiner will get a massive contract elsewhere next year, because he is a top defenceman, with lapses, like every other defenceman.
Only people that don’t appreciate him are Toronto fans.
He will he missed.

 

[Macallan18]

How did he get 7 years? WTF?

Senile Lou

 

[hector morrison]

Not sure what the injury was last season when Holl came in to replace him,but it seems as if he rushed back,perhaps because he didn't want to lose his job to Holl,not sure really! But one thing I am sure of is ...when Zaits came on board he could skate,especially backwards,he was very difficult to beat,he also provided offence and looked to be a diamond in the rough. Cool! I thought ,the Leafs got someone good oughta Russia. Hence the overpayment . Now,I wonder what happened? When is Babs gonna sit this bum?

 

[Suntouchable13]

Not sure what the injury was last season when Holl came in to replace him,but it seems as if he rushed back,perhaps because he didn't want to lose his job to Holl,not sure really! But one thing I am sure of is ...when Zaits came on board he could skate,especially backwards,he was very difficult to beat,he also provided offence and looked to be a diamond in the rough. Cool! I thought ,the Leafs got someone good oughta Russia. Hence the overpayment . Now,I wonder what happened? When is Babs gonna sit this bum?

Signing a guy for 7 years after 1 "good" season is a recipe for disaster. Just ask Cliff Fletcher about Jeff Finger.

 

[hector morrison]

Signing a guy for 7 years after 1 "good" season is a recipe for disaster. Just ask Cliff Fletcher about Jeff Finger.

Most definitely! I think the rumor was that Finger was the wrong guy,or there was a mix up about who Fletcher wanted. Sort of move that questioned Cliffs ability as a Gm!