Canucks have eyes on including tall, bodily Russian defenceman Nikita Zadorov

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The Vancouver Canucks are apparently nonetheless occupied with including tall defencemen.

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Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Saturday that the Canucks are a group occupied with including Nikita Zadorov, the towering Russian defenceman who has requested for a commerce away from the Calgary Flames.

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It’s not the primary time the Canucks have taken a take a look at Zadorov: they’d curiosity in buying and selling for him in June, forward of the opening of free company, a league supply instructed Postmedia.

However the concept was clearly shelved after the Canucks landed Carson Soucy as an unrestricted free agent.

As a number of have identified, Zadorov is represented by agent Dan Milstein, who additionally represents Canucks forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev.

Zadorov carries a $3.75 million cap hit; his contract expires this summer season.

Zadorov is generally identified for his bodily sport, however he has proven a nostril for the web at instances: final season he scored 14 objectives.

Zadorov’s Flames performed the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday evening, and Zadorov threw an enormous hit on Tyler Bertuzzi, main Milstein to tweet about his shopper’s potential.

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“That was (my agent’s) determination to make that tweet. He needs one of the best alternative for (me),” Zadorov instructed Sportsnet 960 radio in Calgary after the Flames misplaced 4-1 to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday evening.

Friedman reported on Saturday that the Maple Leafs are additionally occupied with Zadorov.

Zadorov is a left-shot defenceman, however he can play on the correct aspect as nicely, like Soucy.

That stated, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has been reticent to play left-hand pictures on the correct aspect, particularly as companion to Quinn Hughes.

But when the Canucks have been to commerce for Zadorov, you already know he’d be within the lineup immediately — the query is for who. He’s not moving into for Soucy, Hughes or Ian Cole, who all play on the left aspect (although each Cole and Soucy have performed on the correct).

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Maybe he’d go in for Mark Friedman, the right-shot defenceman the Canucks picked up from the Penguins final month. However Friedman has been a quietly strong shock and it’s exhausting to think about him popping out of the lineup.

Would possibly he get in for Tyler Myers? Myers has performed nicely of late, however his general sport has slid over his 5 seasons in Vancouver. The Canucks have explored buying and selling him greater than as soon as over the previous two seasons, however there haven’t been takers, clearly.

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