Zaitsev

[stickty111]

Zaitsev might be playing hurt or he has hit the rookie wall. Remember first 75-80% of the season some were saying he is a top pairing defender. I think he might be more of a #3 and a good one at that.
He will be fine as he adjusts to a longer schedule in the future seasons. I have no issue giving him a long term contract. It seems like people have "what have you done for me lately" attitude. Its a good thing management doesnt.
He is clearly our 2nd/3rd best d man and I dont see any d man in the expansion draft better than him.
This thread is too harsh IMO.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

I think we're seeing a combination of a tired player who's still feeling the concussion a bit. Seeing that suicide pass to Gardiner last night wasn't pretty. Usually that tells you he's intimidated and still has the concussion on his mind.

 

[1specter]

Zaitsev might be playing hurt or he has hit the rookie wall. Remember first 75-80% of the season some were saying he is a top pairing defender. I think he might be more of a #3 and a good one at that.
He will be fine as he adjusts to a longer schedule in the future seasons. I have no issue giving him a long term contract. It seems like people have "what have you done for me lately" attitude. Its a good thing management doesnt.
He is clearly our 2nd/3rd best d man and I dont see any d man in the expansion draft better than him.
This thread is too harsh IMO.

People have short memories. I guarantee this time next year fans will be quite happy with him.

 

[EXPECT THE LEAFS]

Yeah I'm not convinced either. People say it's the injury but there were stretches during the season where he looked like this as well. So do we have a guy who has played above his head for a large part of the season and has come down to earth? I hope it works out in the Leafs favor but gotta be careful with an untested product.

 

[Menzinger]

Yeah I'm not convinced either. People say it's the injury but there were stretches during the season where he looked like this as well. So do we have a guy who has played above his head for a large part of the season and has come down to earth? I hope it works out in the Leafs favor but gotta be careful with an untested product.

There's nothing really in his stats that would suggest he Uber achieved.

Part of the issue is his first season in the NHL and he's grown to the sharks having to face off against top opposition

 

[CanadasTeam]

If Zaitsev is good enough for Lou and Babs, then he is good enough for me!

**** Don Cherry.

 

[ThrowDemTongs]

Poor Zai is playing hurt and it shows. He's normally a very cerebral player. He's not playing like pre-Foligno Zaitsev. He'll get better. The guy is an asset.

 

[KPower]

7 years?

No thanks

 

[BlueBaron]

Lead all D in ice time on a team that made the playoffs in his rookies season. Get's hurt before the playoffs and comes in cold. Hmm can't imagine what they see in him. I guess it will be puzzling when he is on the all rookie team too?

C'mon now, I think you're being a bit hard on him there OP. No Zaitsev like several other players = no playoffs.

 

[hockeyes]

I would buy the concussion as the reason if he didn't look the same all year when under heavy pressure. He's still new to the NHL and has some time to adjust but I don't see how you can sign him to 7 years unless it's at a massive discount.

 

[Barilko14]

I would buy the concussion as the reason if he didn't look the same all year when under heavy pressure. He's still new to the NHL and has some time to adjust but I don't see how you can sign him to 7 years unless it's at a massive discount.

The other side of the coin is signing him to a 1 or 2 year contract, and then having to resign him at the same time as MNM to a likely higher cap hit.

Does that sound like the better way to go?

This whole team is going to improve defensively over the next few years, Zaitsev will likely be in a better bargaining position in a year or two.

 

[LaPlante94]

First season over here. People need to lower expectation for players who join a new team.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Fact: Z is a rookie (age or not).

Fact: Z is coming off an injury that a lot of people even when "cleared" needs weeks (if not months) to shake the cobwebs out (I quite frankly refuse to belief that they would have played him if he was concussed - theyd play marchenko). I liken this to Komarov''s state after Ovi hit him a few years ago. he was "slow" in many things.

Fact: Z missed 2 weeks (and 2 really emotional games).

so he's not going to look wonderful out there. it doesn't mean we shouldn't invest in him you slide him up/down when necessary and call it a day.

 

[Leaf Warrior]

Zaitsev does not block shots in play-off games. He stinks

 

[Harold Ballard]

Seems like he's playing concussed. Not bashing but his reads aren't as sharp as they were in the post-season.

Regular season bud

 

[Gabriel426]

Sometimes I really don't like coming to this board and read the comments of some fans. It seems like the moment a player struggle, he is a bust, overpaid....then the moment he picks up, he is awesome, money well spent....
Zaitsev might not be Keith or Weber or Karlsson, but he is good enough to be mid pairing and if the price is around Reilly's numbers, thats a great deal.

 

[Leaf Shaker]

Sounds like Don Cherry brainwashing some posters who can't think for themselves.

We heard none of this until Cherry started on his case.

Well guess what, Ekblad is even higher, don't see Cherry going off on him.

36 pts for a rookie D who played the entire season is damn good.

This guy battles hard.

I'll never understand Leaf fans always wanting a new whipping boy who's a defenceman.

I guess this thread is the start of it.

 

[thewave]

Sounds like Don Cherry brainwashing some posters who can't think for themselves.

We heard none of this until Cherry started on his case.

Well guess what, Ekblad is even higher, don't see Cherry going off on him.

36 pts for a rookie D who played the entire season is damn good.

This guy battles hard.

I'll never understand Leaf fans always wanting a new whipping boy who's a defenceman.

I guess this thread is the start of it.

The fanbases/coaches inability to treat each player fairly is the blue and white disease. Every coach that comes here takes on a whipping boy and our media does a good job at making them as well.

Does Babcock treat Hyman and Mitch differently than Nylander? You bet. I think Z has been treated fairly for the most part though, its kind of shocking.

 

[Vexed]

The fanbases/coaches inability to treat each player fairly is the blue and white disease. Every coach that comes here takes on a whipping boy and our media does a good job at making them as well.

Does Babcock treat Hyman and Mitch differently than Nylander? You bet. I think Z has been treated fairly for the most part though, its kind of shocking.

There is no such thing as being treated "fairly" anywhere in life, let alone in sport. I don't understand this expectation. A coach should do what he needs to each player to get the best out of them. If a coach is treating everyone the same, he isn't coaching at all

 

[thewave]

There is no such thing as being treated "fairly" anywhere in life, let alone in sport. I don't understand this expectation. A coach should do what he needs to each player to get the best out of them. If a coach is treating everyone the same, he isn't coaching at all

What I mean is held to the same standard. I mean Babs has a set of expectations from his dog house crew and another for others. Leivo is a fantastic example of someone doing things the right way in games but for whatever reason... Actually I have never seen a guy cone in and play at ,.75ppg and just get discarded at multiple times. Smells like a case of Babcock not liking his face or something.

 

[Barilko14]

What I mean is held to the same standard. I mean Babs has a set of expectations from his dog house crew and another for others. Leivo is a fantastic example of someone doing things the right way in games but for whatever reason... Actually I have never seen a guy cone in and play at ,.75ppg and just get discarded at multiple times. Smells like a case of Babcock not liking his face or something.

Or we can take Babs at his word and chalk it up to Leivos inability to PK as the only reason he's not in the lineup??
Babcock himself said Leivo deserves more, so it's not likely he's being vague when responding to Leivo questions.
Funny how we don't hear Pittsburgh fans clamouring for Corrado to be in the lineup?
When he was here it was national news that Babs wasn't playing him. Seems he's just not that good, and maybe Babcock was right not to be playing him?
I also like that Babcock was hard on Nylander in the 1st half of the season, he's shown the most improvement in overall play as the year has progressed.

 

[Iapyi]

zaitsev was fine for the first 60 games or so and then declined noticably,. then he got hurt. since then he has been scarty to watch ,,, my guess is the Leafs are second thinking giving him a 7 year contract

 

[1specter]

Sounds like Don Cherry brainwashing some posters who can't think for themselves.

We heard none of this until Cherry started on his case.

Well guess what, Ekblad is even higher, don't see Cherry going off on him.

36 pts for a rookie D who played the entire season is damn good.

This guy battles hard.

I'll never understand Leaf fans always wanting a new whipping boy who's a defenceman.

I guess this thread is the start of it.

It's very true, the Don Cherry effect is real. Even met up with some friends earlier this week and they think Zaitsev is bad and were referencing his plus minus just like Cherry.

Incredible how this senile fool gets into people's heads. He also loves to point out when Nylander makes a defensive mistake but never ever shows Marner making one even though he's made far more.

 

[HellasLEAF]

I have to say, after being a big fan all year, he is not quite the same player right now. I think he's feeling it a bit and it's a steep learning curve for him.

He rushes the puck out routinely and we turns over possession. Sometimes it's understandable. But too much I find.

Early on when he returned he misread a few plays yes. But he needs to possess that patience that elite dmen have.

He has looked much better but I don't think he should be logging top d minutes at this stage Gardiner and Rielly have been elite.

 

[Antropovsky]

Not worried, he's a rookie.

He still has all the tools to be a very valuable top four defenseman. Love his physical game, so underrated.