Potential Contract Trouble With Nikita Zadorov, Colorado Avalanche
Last we checked, there was some uncertainty as to why the contract had not been announced for Nikita Zadorov. It seemed like it was all but signed, with a term of two years the likely outcome. Adrian Dater of BSN Denver urged patience on several occasions, but now he reports that the two sides have come apart some in negotiations. Dater writes that there is a $500K difference between the Avalanche and Zadorov, from $2MM to $2.5MM per season.
There have been reports for months that Zadorov has a contract offer in hand from CSKA Moscow of the KHL, since he told a reporter in July that he’d play there if he couldn’t come to a deal with the Avalanche. That option looms larger and larger as the season nears, even as the Avalanche have little cap worry when it comes to the next few years. Paying Zadorov another $500K won’t affect their salary structure, but it could be a sticking point for GM Joe Sakic to not give in to the demands of a young player. Being taken advantage of just because of the team’s situation is never a good precedent to set.
The Avalanche have little chance at a Stanley Cup this season (or even a playoff spot), but losing a year of development and familiarity with the young defenseman is hardly what the team wants. Zadorov was the main component in the now infamous Ryan O’Reilly trade that has apparently influenced Sakic’s trade negotiations this summer with regards to Matt Duchene. The deal is seen as a loss for the Avalanche at this time—though Zadorov and J.T. Compher both still have immense potential—and Sakic doesn’t want to get burned again. Seeing Zadorov walk for the KHL would make it even worse.
Nikita Zadorov, Colorado Avalanche Still Working On Contract
Though there has been plenty of rumors that Nikita Zadorov had already agreed upon a contract with the Colorado Avalanche, nothing had yet been announced by the club. Mike Chambers of the Denver Post finally got GM Joe Sakic to sit down and talk about it, and he explained that the contract length has been decided but they are still working on salary.
Both sides agreed to a two-year deal and we just have to figure out the numbers. We’ve got our NHL comps that we’re going with and he’s got to make a decision at some point on what he wants to do.
Zadorov has a contract offer in hand from the KHL, but has been clear that he’d like to stay in the NHL if possible. With Sakic taking a hard stance on salary though, that may have to change. The 22-year old defenseman is a restricted free agent and has little leverage if he stays in North America, as the Avalanche are more worried about slowly building their youth movement than competing in the short term. A holdout by Zadorov wouldn’t hurt a playoff run, for instance.
Even though Zadorov was a big part of the Ryan O’Reilly trade, he hasn’t yet turned into the shutdown defender the Avalanche had hoped for. While his big hits make highlight reels on the regular, he recorded just 10 points last season and has been generally just average in his own end. It’s clear that Sakic has a set number that he’ll pay, and is willing to endure threats of a KHL departure.
Sakic also mentions Matt Duchene, and the continuing possibility of a trade. Duchene is expected currently to join the team at training camp but Sakic “will be listening to offers.” Recently, Darren Dreger of TSN said that pushing Duchene back into the Colorado dressing room could be a mistake after the public availability this summer, but it doesn’t sound like Sakic’s ask has softened any. If he’s still looking for a blockbuster return for Duchene, he might have to start the year with the squad and wait for a desperate team to come forth later in the year.
Early Notes: Chychrun, Lack, Zadorov
Jakob Chychrun‘s season was put at risk when he suffered a knee injury in his offseason training that required surgery earlier this month. He wasn’t given a timeline, and the team announced just that the young defender was “out indefinitely.” While new Arizona Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet still wouldn’t give a specific time frame, he did tell NHL Network that Chychrun will be back this season.
He’s just a beast. If this happened to somebody else, you might have a guy who’s out for the year.
Chychrun has long been known for his elite strength and conditioning, and it was part of what made him a first-round pick in the 2016 draft. A comeback will be an important part of any Coyotes season, as the team expects to compete this year for a playoff spot. After suiting up for 68 games in his rookie season, a big step forward was expected this year.
- Eddie Lack knew he’d be sent out of town after the Carolina Hurricanes traded for and signed Scott Darling. Lack tells Hockeysverige in Sweden that Calgary was basically a dream scenario, reunited with Glen Gulutzan and paired with Mike Smith on a team expected to compete for the Stanley Cup. Lack has just one year left before becoming an unrestricted free agent, and if he can steal the starting job from Smith at some point he’ll be highly sought after on the open market.
- Though there is still no announcement on a new Nikita Zadorov contract, Adrian Dater of BSN Denver isn’t worried. Reports have surfaced previously that Zadorov had already agreed to a two-year deal with the Colorado Avalanche, and Dater makes it clear that he won’t be heading back to the KHL.
Avalanche Notes: Sakic, Defense, Long-Term Deals
Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic has been at the helm now for six years. His team has spiraled downward and hit rock bottom last year with a league’s worst 22-56-4 record, worth 48 points. To make matters worse, the team only has a handful of prospects and don’t seem to have a plan or path to take the franchise on.
According to NBC Sports’ Adam Gretz, Sakic is a likely candidate to be on the hotseat this season. The team’s lack of a proper path, constant roster questions that seem to be held up by a potential Matt Duchene trade that has never happened and a shortcoming of prospects seem to suggest that he may be the first general manager out the door this season. To make matters worse, the Avalanche have had the worst defense in the league for the past two years, according to Gretz, and have made no defensive changes this year.
- The Avalanche still have quite a few questions when it comes to its roster. Although the team is currently negotiating with defenseman Nikita Zadorov, the Avalanche only have three defensemen on their roster, including Erik Johnson, Tyson Barrie and Mark Barberio, according to NBC Sports James O’Brien. With more than $11MM in cap space still remaining, Colorado has the ability to acquire more players and depth. However, considering their lack of depth, using draft picks to trade for a player makes little sense. That leaves signing leftover free agents to short-term deals, but there are very few defensive free agents of note. Trading Matt Duchene may be their best way to fill in some of those holes.
- O’Brien also points out that, on a positive note, that the Avalanche have very few long-term deals, which should give the team quite a bit of flexibility. Only Nathan MacKinnon ($6.3MM AAV till 2022-23), Gabriel Landeskog ($5.57MM AAV till 2020-21), Carl Soderberg ($4.75MM AAV till 2019-20), Johnson ($6MM AAV till 2022-23) and Barrie ($5.5MM AAV till 2019-20) are locked up for the next three years.
Still Waiting For Nikita Zadorov Announcement
Colorado Avalanche fans have been waiting patiently since the end of the season for news surrounding restricted free agent Nikita Zadorov. Back in July he told Sport-Express in Russia that he’d play for CSKA if he couldn’t come to an agreement with the Avalanche, as the KHL team had already offered him a lucrative contract. After a season which he flashed the potential that made him a first-round pick and centerpiece for Ryan O’Reilly, the Avalanche couldn’t accept his departure.
Earlier this month it was reported that the two sides were closing in on a two-year deal, and Alexey Schevchenko—the same reporter who conducted the interview referenced above—even went so far as to say that a deal was done. The contract would reportedly pay Zadorov $2MM per season. That number has filtered throughout the rumor mill, but has still yet to be confirmed by a North American source or announced by the team.
It does sound like Zadorov will be returning, and for good reason. The Avalanche simply can’t be as historically bad as they were last season, and the big Russian defender can be a part of the turnaround. In 56 games last season he averaged more than 19 minutes a night, and established himself as one of the most devastating open-ice checkers in the league. Now 22, Zadorov could easily take another step forward this season and start to put himself on the map among up-and-coming defensemen in the league. For a team like Colorado who is committed to a rebuild, he’ll be positioned as a key cog going forward.
Colorado’s Holes On The Blue Line
It’s no secret that many people expect the Colorado Avalanche to be the worst team in the NHL again next year. Those who don’t generally put them just ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights, and fighting to be better than an expansion team in their inaugural season is not exactly a great spot for a franchise. However, there was not really much that GM Joe Sakic and the Avs could do this off-season, with so few veteran players on their roster who would have value on the trade market and an understandable reluctance to trade away young talent. In a weak free agent and trade market, no one could have drastically turned the team around either. The rebuild is ongoing in Colorado and they need to take their time with it an do it right so that a 48-point season never happens again.
With that said, it still doesn’t hurt, even for a rebuilding team, to try to be more competitive by adding a veteran player or two. Sakic understands that. He has gone out and added Jonathan Bernier, one of top goalies available, to back up Semyon Varlamov following the expansion selection of Calvin Pickard. He then traded for forward Colin Wilson from the Nashville Predators for a fourth-round pick, a relative bargain but a draft pick from a rebuilding team all the same. If the team had decided to tank this season, and accept everyone’s expectations of them, they could have just handed those jobs to underwhelming prospects Spencer Martin and Rocco Grimaldi.
Why then does the Avalanche blue line look the way it does then? Even assuming that restricted free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov re-signs with Colorado as anticipated, that would still give the team just four defenseman on one-way contracts. Zadorov, a 6’5″, 230-lb. behemoth, is just 22 and the centerpiece of the Avs defense, while Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson are talented veterans on long-term contracts. Yet, Johnson is injury-prone and Barrie often struggles in his own end. The fourth man is Mark Barberio, who was claimed off of waivers from the Montreal Canadiens last season and is penciled into a top-four role next season despite regularly playing bottom-pair minutes before arriving in Colorado. Beyond those four, not the most inspiring blue line corps in the NHL by any means, the bottom pair would likely be occupied by AHL veterans Anton Lindholm and Duncan Siemens, who were -10 with zero points in a combined 15 games last year. Other options include Chris Bigras, who has just one NHL game under his belt, first-year pro Andrei Mironov, and free agent addition David Warsofsky.
Sakic was willing to solidify his net and his forward corps and needs to do the same for his blue line. Zadorov, Barrie, and Johnson are fine for a top three, though each have their issues, and Barberio is a suitable starter. No one will blame the Avs for moving on from aging and ineffective veterans Francois Beauchemin and Fedor Tyutin, but might the team at least look into bringing back one of Eric Gelinas or Cody Goloubef, who both remain unsigned? Even that may not be enough. The obvious top choice would have to be Cody Franson, the top free agent defenseman left on the market. Franson may be a right-handed shot like Barrie and Johnson, but no doubt could help this team and play a major role. Franson could be especially helpful in re-booting an Avs power play that ranked dead last in 2016-17. Another player who could help in that department and with moving the puck could be Dennis Wideman. The veteran rearguard was once a prominent possession defenseman like Barrie and could give a boost to a Colorado offense that is often stagnant. If the Avalanche are shying away from older players like Wideman, they could take a chance on the oft-injured, but talented Simon Despres or on the unproven Jyrki Jokipakka instead. A big move that could be in play if they wanted to take the risk: an offer sheet to young New Jersey Devils puck-mover Damon Severson. Severson had a breakout year last season and looks to be a bona fide top-four offensive defenseman. The Devils are in a similarly rough shape on their blue line and would likely match any deal offered, but it could be worth a shot for the Avalanche, who could desperately use a promising young defender, even with future star Cale Makar coming down the road.
There are many options open to Sakic and the Avalanche and hopefully they find an avenue they like and take it. No one is expecting a rebuilding team to sell off pieces for a premiere defenseman, but they do expect Colorado to at least make an effort to field an NHL-caliber defense. At this point in time, the Avs don’t have that. No one wants to see another 48-point season in Denver. It’s time for Sakic to take action.
Snapshots: Zadorov, Duchene, Somerby
While there has been some speculation that Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov might consider signing in the KHL for next season, BSN Denver’s Adrian Dater reports that progress has been made on a deal that would keep the blueliner with Colorado. Dater adds that Zadorov’s asking price on a shorter-term bridge contract is between $2.75MM – $3MM while the Avs have come in closer to the $2MM range.
The 22-year-old averaged a career high 19:02 per game last season but, like many others with the Avalanche, struggled at times in his own end. Still, while his offensive game hasn’t amounted to much yet, his combination of size and physicality continues to make Zadorov an intriguing project as Colorado continues their rebuild.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Penguins have been a team that has been surprisingly linked to Avalanche center Matt Duchene this summer. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes that Colorado was seeking defenseman Olli Maatta as well as prospect winger Daniel Sprong and a first round pick in order to part with Duchene, a price that GM Jim Rutherford hasn’t been willing to pay just yet. While Pittsburgh has a vacancy at their third line center spot, it would be hard to imagine they’d use Duchene in that role if they were able to land him. Instead, it would likely make more sense to use him on the left wing.
- Add Islanders defensive prospect Doyle Somerby to the list of college prospects that intend to test the open market past August 15th. His agent, Brent Peterson, told Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe that there could be as many as five other teams could be interested in Somerby’s services. The 23-year-old stay-at-home rearguard has spent the past four years at Boston University and captained the team in his senior season. Peterson didn’t rule out the possibility of Somerby, ultimately signing with the Isles (who drafted him in the fifth round in 2012) but given how close he is to becoming an unrestricted free agent, the blueliner has decided to see what other opportunities may be out there as well.
NHL Snapshots: Dallas Stars, Zadorov, Butcher
As announced yesterday, the Dallas Stars will host the 2018 NHL Entry Draft at American Airlines Arena on June 22-23. One key reason they received the honor, according to NHL.com’s Sean Shapiro, is that 2018 will mark the team’s 25th anniversary in Dallas and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the way the team has successfully built a hockey community is a main reason for get awarded with the draft.
“I think they’ve done a fabulous job over the 25 years they’ve been here,” Daly said. “The Stars organization has led the way in turning a non-traditional hockey market into a hockey market. Your involvement in promoting and supporting youth hockey in the greater Dallas area comes from rink initiatives and sponsoring youth hockey teams. It’s not only inspiring, but it’s a model that all NHL clubs in non-traditional markets aspire to.”
Stars CEO and president Jim Lites said it has been a two-year commitment to get the draft to come to Dallas. The team has worked hard this year to get back into the playoff picture after a down year for their 25th anniversary. They have hired coach Ken Hitchcock, traded for goaltender Ben Bishop and defenseman Marc Methot and signed several key free agents, including Alexander Radulov and Martin Hanzal.
- Adrian Dater of BSN Denver, writes that it is highly unlikely that Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov will return to the KHL next year when his contract is up. Dater writes that the defensive defenseman and Colorado are less and $1MM apart in negotations and believes the Avalanche wouldn’t let the future restricted free agent leave over that little money. Zadorov, who was the key piece in the Ryan O’Reilly trade two years ago, played 56 games last year for the Avalanche and had 10 assists.
- Joe Haggerty of CSNNE writes the Bruins, who are well-known for going after top college talent, should not consider signing Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher. The defenseman, who will become a free agent if he doesn’t sign with Colorado before Aug. 15, is likely to receive multiple offers. However, Haggerty writes that the team doesn’t need another undersized, unproven player on their defense since they already have Brandon Carlo and Charlie McAvoy on the roster.