It sounds like the Vancouver Canucks might finally get the answer they’ve been waiting for all offseason; What’s Nikita Zadorov’s future in Vancouver?
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman gave a timetable for a final decision on 32 Thoughts — the podcast.
“I think we’re going to know in the next few days if there’s any hope with Zadorov. Appears unlikely but someone reached out to me and said that one isn’t over yet. Odds are less than 50%. They told me it might be over soon but it’s not over yet.”
Zadorov became a fan favourite after this playoff run. He scored some unbelievable goals from impossible angles right as the Canucks needed them the most. While the offensive side of his game shined, the physicality wasn’t lost.
The 6’6 defenceman made some bone-crunching hits on Roman Josi in the opening series and continued to get under the skin of Evander Kane in round two.
But what really won Canucks fans’ hearts were his quotes about two of Vancouver’s biggest rivals.
“How much do you think I should be making?” Zadorov said when asked about pricing himself out of Vancouver. “I don’t know where you get those numbers – from the trees? I don’t know. You’ve got to stop listening to Edmonton reporters.”
Zadorov had this to say about his time here in Vancouver:
“I can compare it to Calgary, but Vancouver has a bigger fanbase. I mean, Calgary isn’t even the No. 1 team in Alberta. It was unbelievable. My family loves it here, and I enjoyed every second.”
Earlier last week, Friedman speculated that Zadorov is willing to take less money than he could make on the free agent market to stay in Vancouver.
According to Chek TV’s Rick Dhaliwal, Zadorov is asking for above $5M annually, and some believe it could be as high as $6M.
We’ll see what happens. A decision on Zadorov’s future in Vancouver looks to be made this upcoming weekend, as the club will make its final offer to the Russian defenceman to keep him in Canucks colours for years to come.