It has been confirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs have inked a deal with Russian defenceman Nikita Zaitsev. Details of the contract’s length and dollar value are forthcoming, and will be updated on this post when they are made available.
Zaitsev has played the past three seasons with CSKA Moscow of the KHL. This year, he recorded 8 goals and 18 assists in 46 games, making him the fifteenth highest-scoring defenceman in the league. He was also named an All-Star for the second consecutive season.
He was also part of the 2010-11 Russian World Junior Championship team that won the gold medal in Buffalo, NY.
It had been rumoured for months that Zaitsev had interest in signing in Toronto, whose management has taken a flyer on several European free agents in recent years, including Petri Kontiola and Nikita Soshnikov. He will slot in immediately on the Leafs blueline, as just the fifth right-handed defenceman on the team’s depth chart – and likely already the most talented.
At 6’2″ and 196 pounds he can be a strong physical presence for the Leafs, with a scoring touch that will bolster the team’s defensive prospect pool At 24 years old, Zaitsev’s development projection is on track with the team’s rebuild.
Main Photo:
Main Photo:
MOSCOW, RUSSIA – APRIL 19: Nikita Zaitsev (L) of CSKA and Sergei Mozyakin of Metallurg in action during a match between PHC CSKA – HC Metallurg in the play-off finals of the Kontinental Hockey League’s Gagarin Cup in Moscow, Russia on April 19, 2016.
(Photo by Dmitry Golubovich/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
