Player Discussion Nikita Zaitsev (RD)

[Xspyrit]

If Connor Brown isn’t a 3rd liner what is he ?

I just saw that I never answered this but Brown is a 2-way middle six winger. He can play on your 2nd line or 3rd line depending of your needs. If he plays on the 3rd line, it might be because you have a pretty strong forward, like we would have right now if our 3rd line was Paul-Pinto-Brown

What could have been! IMO, with a different coaching staff, with that 3rd line and a guy like DeMelo instead of Zaitsev or Hamonic, we would be a playoffs team without a doubt (even with Norris and Zub injuries), and comfortably.

 

[Micklebot]

As one of his harshest critics, gotta give props to Zaitsev. Dude went from a liability to a #6 guy that is playing his 3rd pairing role.

If he wasn't making $4.5 million I'd be fine with him and still only want him traded because his cap can be used on an upgrade somewhere else. Kudos to him and management for putting in the work though.

Now trade him and a 3rd for Dumba who we let walk in UFA. Make it happen Dorion

He's not really playing a 3rd pair role, he's mostly playing with Chabot while Zub is out.

 

[Larionov]

Reminder that there about five teams in the league with the cap space to take on anything that vaguely resembles a salary dump. Five. That's it. Every other team is up against it to the point where they will need to ship a contract the other way. It severely limits the market for Zaitsev, and makes dumping him prohibitively expensive. I think we just end up keeping him for that final season, which frankly is smarter than paying out a second and a prospect just to get rid of one contract for one year...

 

[swiftwin]

like we would have right now if our 3rd line was Paul-Pinto-Brown

We wouldn't have the cap space for this. Bringing Giroux in forced Brown out.

 

[Micklebot]

We wouldn't have the cap space for this. Bringing Giroux in forced Brown out.

Sure we would, Motte/Joseph out Paul/Brown in is a difference of 2.2 or so, well within our cap room.

Maybe our budget wouldn't allow for it, but our capspace did. We were rumoured to have moved Brown because he wanted out and to make room for a move on D that never materialized

 

[Xspyrit]

We wouldn't have the cap space for this. Bringing Giroux in forced Brown out.

Paul (3.15) + Brown (3.6)

vs

Joseph (2.95) + Motte (1.35)


We have plenty of cap space this season. Of course, several moves made prior impacted this but things could have been managed way differently since 2020

 

[JD1]

While most of us want Zaitsev traded we have to admit that not everything is his fault. He's a serviceable 7th RD & plays a decent defensive game. While he isn't great by any stretch of the imagination, this defence as a whole hasn't been great either although as the season goes on they have gotten better even with him in the lineup. The fact that this team is still quite young & they make a lot of young player mistakes & the goalies at times haven't been great adds to their problems. So it's not all Zaitsev's fault, he's just one of many problems that hopefully they can correct going into next season but I don't expect they will fix them all. That could take a little longer.

Certainly since he came back, Zaitsev slots into the "least of our problems" category

There's not many goals you can point to and say that was Zaitsev's fault. And I don't mean a goal was scored, Zaitsev was on the ice so it's his fault, I mean goals against 5 on 5 that actually were Zaitsev's fault.

Zaitsev isn't the reason we are 30th in the league at 5 on 5 scoring which is our biggest problem

I mean, people want him gone so that his cap hit can be used on someone more productive, if he was making Brannstroms contract I'm sure people would be fine with keeping him around.

Ummm, I think most want Brannstrom gone too so there goes that theory

 

[GCK]

We all desperately wanted to move on from Zaitsev but he never complained and never gave anything but a full effort. Poor guy didn’t deserve the abuse, the abuse should have been directed solely at DJ, Cap and PD.

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

We all desperately wanted to move on from Zaitsev but he never complained and never gave anything but a full effort. Poor guy didn’t deserve the abuse, the abuse should have been directed solely at DJ, Cap and PD.

Please don't bump this again.

Zaitsev was well liked in the room. He's a good guy, just a bad contract. He played good, then poorly after. Nothing personal, just business.

Same as Colin White. Love him as a person, hated his contract and his efforts relative to it.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Don't agree with any abusing of players.
Overrated by DJ from day 1.
IMO factored into moving on from Demelo.
Cost too much every which way

 

[Ice-Tray]

DeMelo is the hero that never was… Such a strange relationship in here with that player.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

DeMelo is the hero that never was… Such a strange relationship in here with that player.

just better than Zaitsev.... doesn't mean he was a hero

 

[Ice-Tray]

just better than Zaitsev.... doesn't mean he was a hero

Wasn’t really referring to you in particular, just that he’s been getting a ‘one that got away’ treatment for a long time now lol…

I agree that we needed to get better in the back end for sure!

 

[slamigo]

Why are folks debating Zaitsev and Demelo?

This is the top 4 D on the team.
Chabot
Zub
Chychrun
Sanderson

Holy effing crap folks.

Fill that out with the following for the rest of this season:

Hamonic, Branny, Holden, JBD, Thomson, etc (maybe even TK?)

I wasn't sure if Chychrun would solve things, but imma just shut my mouth now cuz this changes things.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Agreed. Zaits took too much abuse around here. Very sad, especially in this era.

I hope he ends his career on a higher note.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

Zaitsev fell into the same bucket as Redden in his later years with the Sens. Hard to fault the guy for signing the contract offered to him, but with that contract came expectations that were never met. Wish him the best moving forward, but we're done and on to the next.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Why are folks debating Zaitsev and Demelo?

This is the top 4 D on the team.
Chabot
Zub
Chychrun
Sanderson

Holy effing crap folks.

Fill that out with the following for the rest of this season:

Hamonic, Branny, Holden, JBD, Thomson, etc (maybe even TK?)

I wasn't sure if Chychrun would solve things, but imma just shut my mouth now cuz this changes things.

Zaitsev thread and his history with the Sens may factor into it.
I think it would be misplaced discussing the top 4 .. that does not include Zaitsev in the Zaitsev thread... but that's just an opinion.

 

[slamigo]

Zaitsev thread and his history with the Sens may factor into it.
I think it would be misplaced discussing the top 4 .. that does not include Zaitsev in the Zaitsev thread... but that's just an opinion.

Yeah, my point was maybe it's time to move on and for some folks to end the Zaitsev bashing. So much positivity with the D corps now.
Not sure why you feel the need to be snarky. But hey, you do you man. Enjoy your weekend.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Yeah, my point was maybe it's time to move on and for some folks to end the Zaitsev bashing. So much positivity with the D corps now.
Not sure why you feel the need to be snarky. But hey, you do you man. Enjoy your weekend.

Snarky? I thought I went easy on you lol

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

Worth a bump

 

[Very Stable Genius]

Worth a bump

No it isn't. /end thread.

 

[Adrianopolous]

Between me and you I forgot this guy ever even played with us

 

[Tap on the Ankle]

203 unforgettable games, each shift better than the last

 

[LudwigVonKarlsson]

Close this down.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

Remember when we first got him the sentiment was like damn he’s so much better than ceci. And then you quickly realize he’s atrocious. Talking to “leafs fans” that are buddies they say the exact same thing about Ceci. They’re like damn he can skate he’s big he’s actually not bad. And then a day a week a month goes by and you’re like…these guys just can’t play