Insider shares what Nikita Zadorov could get on next contract

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Cooper Godin
May 18, 2024 (12:33)

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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.

"There's a ton of recency bias that comes with a run like this right? and yes, maybe someone of Zadorov's size and skill set is important when it comes to the playoffs, especially if you are potentially and I don't know what they're going to do, but what happens with Tyler Myers right? Like you need size on your back end, but I think in the grand scheme, the big picture, I still think Zadorov is a four or five in the NHL and to get lost in the sort of dazzling playoff performance and frankly, you just don't want to get lost in that when you're committing significant term and dollars." Seravalli said.

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.