By Jordan Long
The Colorado Avalanche could lose restricted free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov to the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He has a mutual agreement with a team in the KHL. Zadorov is now waiting to see if he is going to receive a better offer from the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche have until the end of July for that to occur.
If Zadorov stays in the NHL with the Avalanche he would be entering his 5th NHL season and 3rd year with the Avalanche. Last season he played in 56 games. Zadorov totaled 10 assists. He was on the power play and could find his teammates for goals with a total of 2 power play assists. What really hurt Zadorov last season was his plus/minus at an awful -20, the worst of his career.
The Avalanche would like to keep Zadorov even though his play was subpar. The best part about Zadorov is he is young at 22 years old. He is not even in his prime at the NHL level. Zadorov can assist the Colorado Avalanche on the power play by setting it up from the blue line and feeding his teammates for scoring chances.
Zadorov can also help the Avalanche at full strength. He can poke check the puck away from skaters coming into the defensive zone which breaks up scoring opportunities. Zadorov will also block shots so the puck won’t reach the goaltenders.
If the Avalanche give him a low deal Zadorov should bolt to the KHL. This gives him a chance to work on his game and improve his defense. Colorado will want to keep him because his game will grow in the NHL. It’s all about the money and hopefully Colorado will make the right decision to keep Zadorov because his game is only going to progress.
What do you think Colorado should do with Nikita Zadorov?
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