West Notes: Zadorov, O’Connor, Jets

Defenseman Nikita Zadorov is one of several notable pending unrestricted free agents in Vancouver.  It appears that they’re going to make one last push to try to sign him as CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reports (Twitter link) the Canucks are preparing to tender the blueliner a final offer soon.  Vancouver acquired the 29-year-old back in November and while he didn’t light it up following the move (14 points in 54 games), Zadorov had a big showing in the playoffs that has certainly bolstered his value.  He picked up four goals and four assists in 13 games while averaging nearly four and a half hits per game in just over 20 minutes a night.  Dhaliwal adds that some think he could get six years at $6MM per season if he gets to the open market.  It would be surprising to see the Canucks go that high with who else needs to be signed but they’ll make one last attempt to try to bridge the gap.

More from the West:

• While Mikko Rantanen is the most prominent member of the Avalanche who is eligible for a contract extension this summer, Evan Rawal of Colorado Hockey Now examines the other forward of note who can sign a new deal in July, winger Logan O’Connor. The 27-year-old was in the midst of a career year with 13 goals and 12 assists in 57 games before undergoing hip surgery just before the trade deadline.  Considering he is also a quality penalty killer, Rawal posits that O’Connor could push past the $4MM mark on the open market in 2025.  That would certainly be a substantial improvement on the $1.05MM cap charge he’s set to carry in the third and final year of his contract next season.
• Scott Billeck of the Winnipeg Sun suggests that Eric Comrie could be a good fit for Winnipeg’s backup goalie vacancy. He had some success with them before departing for Buffalo two years ago while goaltending coach Wade Flaherty, who worked with him previously, is still on the staff.  Perhaps more notably, a deal for Comrie should check in at or close to the $775K minimum salary, giving them more room to work with as they look to retain or replace some of their pending free agents.  Laurent Brossoit had a strong showing as Connor Hellebuyck’s backup in 2023-24 but is expected to be too expensive for the Jets to retain this summer.