Confirmed Trade: [VAN/CGY] Nikita Zadorov for 2024 5th round pick and 2026 3rd round pick

[HighLifeMan]

The first bolded is incorrect. He's anything but a mediocre player. The 2nd bolded is correct. He's a rollercoaster. He can be dominant at times and at other times make you wonder what he was thinking. I do think you're wrong about him being at 18 minutes per night guy. That's what he was in Calgary because we had 4 #2 defensemen. Zadorov is a #4. Heck, he played 22 a night for a team that gentlemen swept us in the playoffs.

I understand you are a big fan of Z, and It's hard not to fall in love with his physical attributes, but the guy's career high over his 11 NHL seasons in TOI/G is 19:28. Much like every other organization he has played for, Vancouver is electing to play him 18 minutes a night as well.

They missed the playoffs in 6 years since they were able to retain. Lots of opportunity to retain. They may change their stance this year, but certainly have no history if a willingness to retain to this point.

Just because they missed the playoffs doesn't suggest that the mandate wasn't to try squeak in every year. Treliving sold off assets in 2015/16 and that's it (Hudler, Glencross, Russell), but was otherwise looking to add pieces year after year.

An absolute steal by Vancouver. I have no clue why Calgary made this trade, but that management team has been a dumpster fire of late. Of course, Holland will give them a run for their money in the real battle of Alberta.

Big fan of Z. Blown away they moved him for 2 picks.

You have no clue why they traded a player who called out his entire locker room and then publicly requested a trade a week or so later?

 

[BCNate]

I understand you are a big fan of Z, and It's hard not to fall in love with his physical attributes, but the guy's career high over his 11 NHL seasons in TOI/G is 19:28. Much like every other organization he has played for, Vancouver is electing to play him 18 minutes a night as well.



Just because they missed the playoffs doesn't suggest that the mandate wasn't to try squeak in every year. Treliving sold off assets in 2015/16 and that's it (Hudler, Glencross, Russell), but was otherwise looking to add pieces year after year.

Cool. Not sure what you are arguing though. Fact remains they have retained on 1 deal in a nearly 15 years. Most teams have retained on 10+ despite being far more successful than the Flames. They may change that stance this year or not, who knows.

 

[HighLifeMan]

Cool. Not sure what you are arguing though. Fact remains they have retained on 1 deal in a nearly 15 years. Most teams have retained on 10+ despite being far more successful than the Flames. They may change that stance this year or not, who knows.

What Treliving did, and what Conroy plans on doing are two separate things.

Brad Treliving sold off just 4 players for picks during his entire tenure here, and in one of those deals the organization retained.

That's all I am saying. If they don't use those retention spots while selling off high end UFA's they are brain dead, and ill be right there with you in criticizing them if that's the case.

 

[Double Dion]

I understand you are a big fan of Z, and It's hard not to fall in love with his physical attributes, but the guy's career high over his 11 NHL seasons in TOI/G is 19:28. Much like every other organization he has played for, Vancouver is electing to play him 18 minutes a night as well.



Just because they missed the playoffs doesn't suggest that the mandate wasn't to try squeak in every year. Treliving sold off assets in 2015/16 and that's it (Hudler, Glencross, Russell), but was otherwise looking to add pieces year after year.



You have no clue why they traded a player who called out his entire locker room and then publicly requested a trade a week or so later?

I mean he's been playing 3/4 minutes in Vancouver. He's been perfectly capable in that role. Yes I'm a fan of the player. It doesn't mean I don't see his flaws. I said he's a #4 defenseman. #4 D play 17-20 minutes per night. I never said he was a #2.

 

[Bankerguy]

I think now that we've seen him in Col, Cgy and now Van and his progression and how he's played with different teams , i think he's a number 4 guy which may be an unpopular opinion as he may be pigeonholed into a no.5 spot in most peoples minds... but what people think doesnt matter. what he brings on the ice matters.
Good pickup for the cost.

 

[jackjohnson]

Big Z is definitely a capable #4D in my opinion. His big hits, his puck protection and overpowering of other forwards to retrieve the puck is something a top 4D would have the ability to do. A number 5 or 6 doesn't make this much impact. Once Soucy comes back, Canucks D will be even better but Juulsen has proven to be a capable number 6 and has improved his game a lot too. The Canucks seem to have depth in defense again. Pretty balanced if you ask me. Cole, Soucy, Myers and Zadorov could all play within the allocated 15 to 20 minutes each. Which will allow for reduction of Hughes and Hronek minutes and keeping them fresh by only giving them 20 to 25 minutes of playing time.

 

[I am Canadian]

I envision Zadorov as a playoff type player. He's going to excel when he can get away with an extra cross check or slash.

This is exactly why I wanted him for Toronto, and why I think this is crazy good value for Vancouver. Still can't believe they didn't get a 2nd for him.

 

[heyfolks]

You have no clue why they traded a player who called out his entire locker room and then publicly requested a trade a week or so later?

Is that what you read into my post, because I never said that?! I am surprised they traded him for 2 mid round picks to a rival. Expediency appears to have taken precedent over return.

 

[jackjohnson]

I envision Zadorov as a playoff type player. He's going to excel when he can get away with an extra cross check or slash.

This is exactly why I wanted him for Toronto, and why I think this is crazy good value for Vancouver. Still can't believe they didn't get a 2nd for him.

This is exactly why Alvin should win GMoTY award. Such a good trade in middle of season when multiple teams need a D and he comes up on top and steals him before Toronto gets his hand on him. I bet he will somehow steal Tanev too.

 

[Volica]

This is exactly why Alvin should win GMoTY award. Such a good trade in middle of season when multiple teams need a D and he comes up on top and steals him before Toronto gets his hand on him. I bet he will somehow steal Tanev too.

Insider in Calgary said that we just didn't want to work with Tre.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Big bonus is that Tyler Myers has played some of his best hockey when paired with big Z.

 

[Three On Zero]

He was brought in to play somewhere between Hronek and Myers, which is exactly what he is doing. Semantics about where that falls is just pointless. All that matters is that he isn’t being utilized as a top end defenceman

 

[EpochLink]

Big bonus is that Tyler Myers has played some of his best hockey when paired with big Z.

We have someone to babysit Tyler Myers finally

 

[notbias]

This is exactly why Alvin should win GMoTY award. Such a good trade in middle of season when multiple teams need a D and he comes up on top and steals him before Toronto gets his hand on him. I bet he will somehow steal Tanev too.

Toronto has like 4 bottom pairing D... why get another?

Him and Gio would be fighting for a spot... and how much better is Zadorov?

 

[Unbiased Fan]

Toronto has like 4 bottom pairing D... why get another?

Him and Gio would be fighting for a spot... and how much better is Zadorov?

Gio this year looks a lot better then he has the past 4 years

 

[jackjohnson]

Toronto has like 4 bottom pairing D... why get another?

Him and Gio would be fighting for a spot... and how much better is Zadorov?

Toronto have weaklings on D. Giordano is 50 years old. TJ Brodie and Reilly are as soft as it gets, same with Klingberg, Lilly etc. Who does Toronto have that compares to 6'6 Zadorov? A rugged, hard hitting dman that is a capable number 4?? Take a look at Canucks backend and compare to Toronto. Vancouver has 4 big dman that can sustain any physical challenges, all above 6'2 with 3 above 6'5.

Soucy-Cole
Zadorov-Myers

All big boys and they also have Juulsen who is physical and a big dman too. Only small dman on Canucks is Hughes.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Gio this year looks a lot better then he has the past 4 years

Always great to hear from ‘nonbias’ and ‘unbiased fan’. Family Christmases must be a real hoot in the bias household!

 

[jackjohnson]

We have someone to babysit Tyler Myers finally

Big Z masculinity has finally robbed off on Myers. Seems like Myers balls grew a bit after playing with Big Z and seeing him hit players

 

[Frankie Blueberries]

Toronto have weaklings on D. Giordano is 50 years old. TJ Brodie and Reilly are as soft as it gets, same with Klingberg, Lilly etc. Who does Toronto have that compares to 6'6 Zadorov? A rugged, hard hitting dman that is a capable number 4?? Take a look at Canucks backend and compare to Toronto. Vancouver has 4 big dman that can sustain any physical challenges, all above 6'2 with 3 above 6'5.

Soucy-Cole
Zadorov-Myers

All big boys and they also have Juulsen who is physical and a big dman too. Only small dman on Canucks is Hughes.

You know you don’t have to rosterbait in a public setting right?

 

[notbias]

Toronto have weaklings on D. Giordano is 50 years old. TJ Brodie and Reilly are as soft as it gets, same with Klingberg, Lilly etc. Who does Toronto have that compares to 6'6 Zadorov? A rugged, hard hitting dman that is a capable number 4?? Take a look at Canucks backend and compare to Toronto. Vancouver has 4 big dman that can sustain any physical challenges, all above 6'2 with 3 above 6'5.

Soucy-Cole
Zadorov-Myers

All big boys and they also have Juulsen who is physical and a big dman too. Only small dman on Canucks is Hughes.

Why get players will skill when you can have size?

Klingberg isn't even playing anymore, so glad you're watching games and not just randomly saying things.

Top 4 everyone is better than Zadorov.

Gio and Timmins are his competition right now.

As long as you know that you can't win with small D, look at Vegas, huge D, and then before that, look at Colorado... wait a second.

 

[jackjohnson]

He was brought in to play somewhere between Hronek and Myers, which is exactly what he is doing. Semantics about where that falls is just pointless. All that matters is that he isn’t being utilized as a top end defenceman

It's nice to have balanced D finally and not to rely on Friedman. Juulsen is playing a lot better though. When Soucy comes back, Canucks back end will be much tougher to beat. But Juulsen seems like a solid number 6 while Friedman is the perfect number 7. Not sure if Canucks need to add to their D, although adding a top 4 D like Tanev would never hurt. If they do add Tanev, then their defense will have zero holes and a lot of depth.

 

[jackjohnson]

Why get players will skill when you can have size?

Klingberg isn't even playing anymore, so glad you're watching games and not just randomly saying things.

Top 4 everyone is better than Zadorov.

Gio and Timmins are his competition right now.

As long as you know that you can't win with small D, look at Vegas, huge D, and then before that, look at Colorado... wait a second.

Colorado have 2 way defenders with elite skills. They have Makar, Toews, Byram, Girard, Manson etc. They all can move and get the puck up the ice so comparing Colorado to any team is not fair. You either have to ice big dmen that can defend and play physical or ice 6 elite defenders that can score and move the puck ice with ease. Since there is no team in the league that can ice 6 elite defenders like Avs can, teams usually elect to get bigger on the back end. You cant be a team that's in the middle where you lack both elite skills or size.

 

[notbias]

Colorado have 2 way defenders with elite skills. They have Makar, Toews, Byram, Girard, Manson etc. They all can move and get the puck up the ice so comparing Colorado to any team is not fair. You either have to ice big dmen that can defend and play physical or ice 6 elite defenders that can score and move the puck ice with ease. Since there is no team in the league that can ice 6 elite defenders like Avs can, teams usually elect to get bigger on the back end. You cant be a team that's in the middle where you lack both elite skills or size.

That is not true at all.

"6 elite defenders"... names someone who was injured, only 5, and includes Manson and Byram... yep, you named 1 elite defender and 1 very good one.

Also, Vancouver doesn't defend particularly well, they have a good goalie, there is a difference.

Vancouver has a good top pairing and then it looks like 4 guys who are closer to #5s than #3s

 

[Fig]

Big Z is definitely a capable #4D in my opinion. His big hits, his puck protection and overpowering of other forwards to retrieve the puck is something a top 4D would have the ability to do. A number 5 or 6 doesn't make this much impact. Once Soucy comes back, Canucks D will be even better but Juulsen has proven to be a capable number 6 and has improved his game a lot too. The Canucks seem to have depth in defense again. Pretty balanced if you ask me. Cole, Soucy, Myers and Zadorov could all play within the allocated 15 to 20 minutes each. Which will allow for reduction of Hughes and Hronek minutes and keeping them fresh by only giving them 20 to 25 minutes of playing time.

As times goes on and for certain games, you want the ability to demote him as the #5 where he can do an excellent job with a simple game vs getting too cute on the second pairing. This time will likely come with Vancouver, but the outcome wouldn't be horrific IMO. If anything, a bottom pairing of Z and Myers would be excellent. Two big dudes smashing the opposition in the dzone while also capable of adding some plays with offensive flair? Good stuff. You could run those guys 15-20 minutes and even more if required (ie: OT) and not worry too much vs other teams often have to consider shortening their bench in tight games.

Z did that with Gudbranson here and they did well. Myers is an upgrade on Gudbranson so in theory you'd have a pretty sweet 3rd pairing that could affect the game in more ways than just the typical offense and defiance.

It's nice to have balanced D finally and not to rely on Friedman. Juulsen is playing a lot better though. When Soucy comes back, Canucks back end will be much tougher to beat. But Juulsen seems like a solid number 6 while Friedman is the perfect number 7. Not sure if Canucks need to add to their D, although adding a top 4 D like Tanev would never hurt. If they do add Tanev, then their defense will have zero holes and a lot of depth.

Semantics, and you'd probably know more as a Canuck fan, but I don't consider the Canucks D to be balanced. I do however consider it to be flexible. Canucks can mess with the pairings to address different playstyles and choose better d corps playstyle that is more effective against different teams.

 

[Petes2424]

Zadorov throwing Calgary under the bus isn’t surprising, but all the way down to the food they serve the players?? Lol

To be fair, it’s no secret the Canucks are one of those top teams over the years, on how they treat their players. Everything is first class. Dallas, Vancouver, Detroit, Nashville and the Blues, have always been that way. It’s why players love playing in those cities.

Can’t remember if they have their own plane like Detroit, but those things matter to players.