Insider shares what Nikita Zadorov could get on next contract
The Vancouver Canucks are on the verge of advancing to their first Western Conference Final in 13 years and a big reason for their success all season long has been their depth, along with their top guys - Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, as well as Thatcher Demko.
Early in the season, it was clear that the Canucks needed to add some grit and sandpaper to their defensive group and that's exactly what General Manager Patrik Allvin got in a deal with the Calgary Flames, bringing in Russian blueliner Nikita Zadorov.
Zadorov's time with the Vancouver Canucks has been better than most would have expected and in the playoffs, you could make the argument that other than Quinn Hughes, he's been the team's best defenceman so far.
The Moscow native is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1st and while everyone in the Canucks organization is focused on winning the Stanley Cup, some people are beginning to wonder what Zadorov's next contract could look like and if his value has increased due to his play in the playoffs.
NHL insider Frank Seravalli was a guest on the podcast Canucks Conversation and said that he thinks Nikita Zadorov could get a six-year contract worth $6 million per season.
He added, "So that's what he's looking for. I think, he thinks he can get 6 x 6. I think that's a really tall ask based on what he actually is. But that's just my read on it and you know, with some of these guys, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, right?"
Seravalli does have a point with the recency bias given his performance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs so far and $6 million AAV on a six-year contract seems like a lot. With the Canucks needing to lock up another key member of their blueline this summer, Filip Hronek who is an RFA, it'll be interesting to see if they're able to work out a deal with Nikita Zadorov.
| POLL | ||
MAI 18 | 407 ANSWERS Insider shares what Nikita Zadorov could get on next contract Do you think $6 million per season is too much for Nikita Zadorov? | ||
| Yes | 250 | 61.4 % |
| No | 157 | 38.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
