Image Courtesy: WIkimedia Commons
The Vancouver Canucks will be scouting pending KHL free agent Nikita Zaitsev, a physical 24-year-old right-handed shooting defenseman, at a tournament this upcoming week.
They’re not going to be the only NHL team with interest though. Not by a long shot.
“There’s a Russian prospect coming overseas next year, Nikita Zaitsev,” reported Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman during Hockey Night in Canada’s ‘Headlines’ segment. “His agent Todd Diamond said today he’s definitely coming over.
“There will be teams going over to see him in a tournament this week: Philadelphia, Toronto, L.A., Vancouver, Calgary are among those teams that have looked into him. And there will be more. Already some teams are going over to meet with him and see where his interests are.”
There’s a lot to like about Zaitsev’s game. He’s still in his prime, and he’s a thick-bodied defenseman that has produced points at a good rate in the KHL over the past couple of years. He’s got a heavy shot, and has NHL-size. And he’s available to teams with zero acquisition cost.
Zaitsev will be subject to the entry-level system for one year, so attracting him will require teams to craft a pitch based on ‘fit’ and ‘opportunity’, since interested clubs will be unable to materially outbid each other. If the potential bidding war is as intense as it figures to be, then Zaitsev will surely get a max one-year deal with generous performances bonuses.
A young international free agent with Zaitsev’s two-way profile may be particularly interesting for the Canucks because of his right-handed shot. The Russian-born defenseman will turn 25-years-old early next season, so he’d be a clear NHL-level signing and based on his 12-goals in 57 KHL contests a year ago, if the Canucks can land Zaitsev, he may make for an intriguing fit on Vancouver’s first power-play unit with the Sedin twins.
The PCS model only produces three defenseman as comparable players for Zaitsev, all of them played in the inaugural season of KHL action and none of the three ever played games in the NHL. The lack of current NHL players with a similar track record to Zaitsev’s is concerning, although, the lack of comparables is generally a positive indicator and this seems like a unique circumstance because of the KHL’s expansion status in 2008.
Here’s a highlight package, which is mostly just Zaitsev gassing one-timers past goaltenders with his heavy point shot:
