There’s some renewed optimism in contract talks between the Vancouver Canucks and Nikita Zadorov.
After yesterday’s reports that the two sides were unlikely to reach an agreement, it now seems too early to make a call on the situation.
“It appears unlikely, but someone reached out to me and said that one’s not ever yet,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said today on the 32 Thoughts podcast. “I would say the odds are less than 50%, but someone reached out to me and said it’s not over yet.”
Zadorov was one of the Canucks best players in the postseason. He scored eight points in 13 games and made several impact plays. His size and skating were perfectly suited to rough playoff hockey.
Canucks fans want the big Russian to stay with the team. They’ve made their voice heard on social media by flooding the player’s comments section with requests to re-sign and messages of support.
It’s been reported that Zadorov has already turned down one offer from the Canucks. The team will likely need to spend at least $5 million per season to retain his services. He made $3.75 million last year and has earned a big raise.
It sounds like another offer is coming soon, and there might not be anymore after that.
“A final offer is coming to Zadorov soon,” said CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal today on the Donnie & Dhali show. “This is strictly about money.”
The Canucks have a lot of spots to fill on their blue line, and retaining Zadorov would help them continue the big, bruising style they played this year.