Canucks went as high as $5M AAV in Zadorov contract talks: report

After months of negotiations since being eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the Vancouver Canucks and Nikita Zadorov are parting ways. The two sides went back and forth, with both sides reporting to have been flexible in their negotiations.

 

However, there were rarely any concrete numbers reported in extension talks outside of speculation on what he made on that open market—that was until TSN’s Darren Dreger shed some light on the situation on his morning hit from Day 2 of the NHL Entry Draft.

“It’s believed that the Vancouver Canucks tried to keep him, but they came in late and they went as high as a $5M AAV. So it would make a lot of sense to Zadorov that he could get [at least] that [in free agency],” Dreger said. “Can he get it from the Toronto Maple Leafs? I’m told there’s at least 10 teams with considerable interest in Zadorov. They like him for a lot of different reasons. Obviously there’s history between Zadorov and Brad Treliving but it comes down to a cap situation for the Leafs.”

Zadorov, 29, was acquired by the Canucks on November 30th from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick. In 54 regular season games in Vancouver, Zadorov scored five goals and nine assists, totalling 14 points, with a plus-6 plus/minus rating.

But what really made Canucks fans fall in love with him was his physical plays and the big goals he scored in the playoffs. He scored goals from impossible angles and played like a bully, intimidating star players entering the blue line.

Despite the efforts from both sides, Zadorov is looking to cash in for what will likely be the biggest ticket of his career. While Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin stands his ground when it comes to standing firm on the club’s negotiations.

“I can’t overpay one single player and Nikita Zadorov was extremely good for us in the playoffs and a character guy,” said Allvin. “We did our best and he decided that he wanted to go somewhere else.”

The focus will now shift to finding Nikita Zadorov’s replacement come free agency on July 1st.