The Colorado Avalanche have announced the re-signing of defenceman Nikita Zadorov to a 1-year contract. Zadorov’s new deal has a $3.2 million cap hit. Nikita Zadorov was a pending restricted free agent heading to the off-season. He has become a huge part of the Avalanche defence over the past few seasons. That was one of the reasons why he ended up re-signed by Colorado.
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Nikita Zadorov Re-Signs With Colorado Avalanche
Nikita Zadorov was selected as the 16th overall player in the first round of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Buffalo Sabres. He has played 67 games with the Sabres in the following two seasons. In 2015, the Sabres traded Zadorov to the Colorado Avalanche in a huge trade involving Ryan O’Reilly going to Buffalo from Colorado. In 2017, the Avalanche have re-signed him for a two-year contract extension worth $2,150,000 per season.
Ever since the 2015-2016 season, Zadorov has skated in 225 games with Colorado. In his 292 regular season games, the Russian defenceman has collected 18 goals and 44 assists for 62 points. Throughout his career, he has averaged 18:14 of the ice time and the CF% of 46.0. He has also appeared in 18 playoff games with the Avalanche. During the past spring, Zadorov has gone pointless in 12 postseason games.
What Does That Mean For The Future
In the past season with the Avalanche, Zadorov has averaged 17:12 of the ice time and the CF% of 49.4. He has skated in 70 games during the regular season combining seven goals and seven assists. Zadorov is mainly known for his strong physical play, as he has got 871 hits in his 292 career games.
The 24-year-old defenceman has been a nice part of the Colorado Avalanche blue line. That definitely helped them get to the second round of the playoffs, where they lost in a narrow Game 7 against the San Jose Sharks. It was made clear with this signing that the Avalanche are counting with their big blueliner for the future.
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