July 4: Khayrullin’s report has come to fruition. It’s a four-year deal for Zaitsev with SKA, TSN’s Chris Johnston reports.
May 20: It has been a fairly steep fall from grace for defenseman Nikita Zaitsev. A few years ago, he was logging over 20 minutes a night but he has since been included as salary cap ballast in a trade twice and had a very limited role this season with the Blackhawks. Instead of seeing what might await him in free agency, it appears he has decided to head home as Sport-Express’ Arthur Khayrullin reports that Zaitsev is expected to sign a multi-year deal (a minimum of three years) with SKA St. Petersburg of the KHL.
The 32-year-old came to North America back in 2016 and made an immediate impact with Toronto, recording 36 points, 136 blocks, and 176 hits in 72 games while averaging more than 22 minutes per game, an impressive first year. That earned him a seven-year, $31.5MM extension one year later and the Maple Leafs thought they had a core piece locked up for the long haul.
Unfortunately for them, it didn’t work out that way. Zaitsev didn’t reach the 20-point mark let alone getting back to 36 over those seven seasons. While he still logged some big minutes after being traded to Ottawa, his role eventually dwindled and eventually, the team parted with a pair of draft picks (a 2023 second-rounder and a 2026 fourth-rounder) to get Chicago to take the remaining year and a bit off their hands.
This season, Zaitsev found himself a healthy scratch on quite a few occasions while also missing time due to illness, an upper-body injury, and a knee issue that kept him out for 19 games. As a result, he made a career-low 38 appearances, notching just seven points, 70 hits, and 69 blocks in a little under 16 minutes per contest, all career-lows as well.
With Chicago having several young defensemen on the cusp of pushing for full-time NHL duty, they weren’t going to bring Zaitsev back. While it’s possible he could have had some interest in a depth role on an NHL roster, it looks like he’ll opt for the security of a multi-year agreement back home. Assuming a contract gets finalized, Zaitsev will depart the NHL with 118 points in 482 career appearances, a pretty good career overall for an undrafted player.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Thank goodness, hope the door doesn’t hit you on the way out. The Hawks may have been terrible the last few years but Zaitsev may have been the worst player on the club.
Yeah the Hawks have a lot of young D-men that they’re not going to play. That’s why they signed Martinez and Brodie. They’re going younger.
They’re going to play, but some of them are going to play in Rockford, with maybe a couple of look sees with the big club so they can look and see from successful experience. Especially important on the defensive side, since defenseman usually take longer to find their way. This season will be a more competitive one, while still not losing sight of their overall plan, and helping that plan to mature.
You need 7-9 defensemen anyway, unless you’re abnormally healthy as a team.
And you have to surround Bedard with mature, seasoned professionals as he’s developing. Martinez and Brodie both qualify. They’re not going to be there when they challenge for the playoffs.
What happened to this guy? I don’t follow the teams that he’s been on, but I thought he was hot stuff once upon a time, and since then he’s been treated like he’s got typhus or something.
I think you’re thinking of Zadorov. The Hawks had both of them.
UncleMike, it was definitely Zaitsev, and my hazy memories of this guy would have been when he was on the Leafs and based on opposing teams’ coverage…. not that I paid much attention to him in any case.
Had a dynamite rookie season, playing heavy minutes in all situations and producing well, looking like a potential top pairing guy, signed a long-term deal, started out of the gate in year two looking like a 7th D and never recovered.
He either lost a step or he was never good to begin with.
KL, thanks for the explanation!