http://thehockeywriters.com/interview-with-sabres-defenseman-nikita-zadorov/
Rest of the article is pretty interesting
Did the Russian Ice Hockey Federation talk with you or your agent before the WJC?
I really wanted to play, I know all the guys as we played together for three years in many different national teams, if it was up to me, I would have played.
- How did it happen that earlier in the season you had no game practice?
– Sabres coaches thought I wasn’t ready. When the team started losing, they gave me a chance and I used it. I showed that I could play in the NHL. I only needed to wait my chance.
- It was being rumored that you would spend the season in the KHL.
– Maybe my agent tried to explore this possibility, but they didn’t negotiate with me. I didn’t even think about it, I was focused on getting a spot with the Sabres.
Many think that teams like the Sabres and others try to get as low as possible in the standings to have a better chance to draft McDavid or Eichel. What do you think about it?
– I don’t even know how this can be possible. What should happen? You go and score in your own net? I think that this is totally ludicrous. The NHL is a league for winners, players do whatever it takes to play in the best league of the world. How can they lose on purpose? No one likes to lose, everyone wants to win.
Rest of the article is pretty interesting
