The Colorado Avalanche have re-signed 22-year-old defenseman Nikita Zadorov to a two-year, $4.3 million contract, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun. The new bridge contract will take Zadorov through the 2019-20 season and has an average annual value of $2.15 million.
Nikita Zadorov to stay in the NHL, inks 2-year deal with the Avalanche
The Avalanche avoid another offseason misstep by signing the young defenseman to a two-year contract.
Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images
Last season, Zadorov had 10 points in 56 games played for Colorado. While he remains largely untested at the NHL level, Zadorov has a high ceiling and is considered one of the Avalanche’s best young players. Zadorov was previously drafted No. 16 overall by the Sabres in 2013 before being traded to Colorado in 2015 in the deal that brought Ryan O’Reilly to Buffalo.
Though this offseason has been a head-scratching one for the Avalanche, locking up Zadorov to a two-year deal is quite the success. On July 1, Zadorov’s three-year entry-level deal expired, leaving him a restricted free agent, and he has since been locked in rough contract negotiations. A few weeks after free agency opened, Zadorov told Alexey Shevchenko of Sport-express.ru that the Avalanche had until the end of July to come to terms or he would play in the KHL next season.
From our wonderful friends at Mile High Hockey, here’s part of Zadorov’s interview, translated by Natalia (@forgotten_night):
I’m waiting for the Avalanche’s decision. I have decided for myself that I’m ready to wait until the end of July. But I want stability. If we don’t come to an agreement, I will play for CSKA.
Zadorov and the Avalanche had previously agreed on the two-year term, but it was the value of the contract that held up negotiations. At the end of August, the pair were reportedly $500,000 apart on a new deal, with the Avalanche holding steady at $2 million. Both sides clearly gave ground to get a deal done, but Zadorov will have time for a potential payday after these two years are up.
Though negotiations had dragged on through August, both Adrian Dater with BSNDenver.com and KHL insider Aivis Kalnins reported that a deal was nearly done to keep Zadorov in the NHL. Zadorov would not have been the first player to head to the KHL this offseason if the Avalanche could not come to terms, as highly-sought defenseman Andrei Markov and others have moved on from the NHL in the last few months.
This deal leaves the Avalanche with approximately $9.5 million left in cap space, though the team still has just four defensemen signed for the season.
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