Canucks: Why final contract line in sand for Zadorov is hard to draw

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Nikita Zadorov has never lacked for confidence, swagger or strong opinions.

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The hulking unrestricted free agent (UFA) defenceman has played for five NHL teams and it could be a sixth if his camp can’t reach contract terms with the Vancouver Canucks.

That final line in the negotiation sand was supposed be drawn on the weekend with a last offer, but it’s not a stretch to suggest that Zadorov isn’t losing sleep over the chess match to determine his long-term worth.

He knows his game. He knows his worth. He’d like to stay. However, he’s going to earn as much as US$6 million annually in free agency.

Zadorov, 29, quickly became a fan favourite for his fresh, frank and funny demeanour, and for delivering thundering hits on an expiring $3.75 million salary-cap hit. A leap to $6 million for a third-pairing, left-shot defenceman is massive, but intangibles suggest $5 million might be workable. He had turned down $4.5 million and maybe there’s wiggle room with contract term.

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Still, in a bottom-line business, the Canucks have to eventually draw a line and could walk away. But with UFA depth defenceman Ian Cole expected to test the market, there could be two back-end holes to fill.

A potential bottom-pairing fit fizzled Friday when the Carolina Hurricanes signed former Canuck and pending right-shot UFA Jalen Chatfield, 28, to a three-year, $9 million extension.

At age 33, UFA Brenden Dillon might be a placeholder fit on limited term because he has the size at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds. And maybe the left shot New Westminster native would take a hometown discount on his expiring $3.9 million cap hit.

Noah Juulsen, 27, has a year left on his deal at a bargain $775,000 cap hit. His improvement this season — including a 163 hits in just 54 games to lead club defenders — could make the right-shot Surrey native a third-pairing regular.

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Aside from how it plays out, the imposing 6-foot-6, 248-pound Zadorov sent an early message of belief in his long-term value after logging just eight games following a trade from the Calgary Flames.

“I’m not even close to what I can do and what coaches want to see,” Zadorov told this reporter. “I can skate with the puck more and make more plays. When I get used to it (systems), it will show for sure.”

And it did.

Zadorov came to the emotional rescue to ensure nobody messes with star players — like in Chicago on Dec. 17 when he fought to answer a hard hit on Elias Pettersson — and then peaked with a strong playoff presence.

He’s what head coach Rick Tocchet has always coveted. A big defencemen who can defend physically and positionally, quickly exit the zone with crisp passes and join the rush to cause coverage problems.

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When Zadorov responded with heightened testosterone and post-season production levels with eight points (4-4) in 13 games — including highlight-reel rushes to pick the top corners from a wide angle — to go with 45 playoff hits — it sent a message.

It followed up his 124 hits in 54 regular-season games after 53 in 21 outings with the Flames and teased of more offensive potential. Zadorov had 14 goals in 2022-23.

More importantly, the Canucks have gone from hunters to the hunted. They won’t surprise anybody next season and ensuring they can take the next step means measuring up on the back end.

It’s why Zadrov touted defensive coaches Adam Foote and Sergei Gonchar as key cogs because he has so much more to give.

“Foote had a coach on top of him all the time, so he knows how to treat players, what we want to hear on the ice and what we don’t want to hear,” stressed Zadorov. “He’s really smart and helps my style for sure.

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“And Gonchar is saying stuff I’ve never heard. He was super-skilled and shows where to create more shooting lanes and where to put your feet and body to make better passes.”

Zadorov moves and pivots well for a towering defender and that foundation came at an early age in figure skating. Yes, “Big Z” did spins and twirls.

“I worked with a coach from age seven to 13,” he said during an engaging Q&A. “It’s impossible to change your skating after you’re 18. You can add some skill stuff, but it’s important at a young age.

“It was always defence for me because I was bigger than everybody. I played a little basketball in middle school, but you gave to commit to one sport if you want to be good. My parents always invested and I had 6 a.m. practices.”

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There’s also another side to Zadorov.

He quickly embraced his new surroundings at the arena with a flair for fashion and camaraderie as much as his family did in adjusting to West Vancouver. His comfort factor in the room was matched by competitive potential with a 109-point team that captured the Pacific Division and nearly advanced to the Western Conference final.

Zadorov is a Moscow native and resides in Florida during the off-season. When he finally hangs up the skates, world politics could be his calling — especially with the continuing Russian war and atrocities in Ukraine.

“I’m a pretty straightforward person,” he said. “As players, we can use our platform. If people are going to ask me a question, I’m going to give an honest answer all the time.

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“They (Russia) call it an invasion but it’s not an invasion, That’s bulls — t. It’s a war. They’re sending rockets and killing people and when you cross the border first, that’s a war. They make up cool words so it doesn’t look so bad, but that’s part of the propaganda.

“But they’re literally killing people who we have lived beside. I don’t know what he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) is trying to do or the U.S. (financial, arms support). There’s a lot of stuff that goes into politics, I’m trying to educate myself.

“With his (Putin’s) regime, it’s impossible to go back. I don’t see a future for myself or my kids in that country.”

Zadorov obviously sees it in Canada and would like a future in Vancouver.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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