Getty Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov is getting closer to testing free agency. That’s the situation after he turned down a contract extension offer from the franchise.
Zadorov finished his contract after the Canucks lost to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round of the playoffs. He’s considered a classic, strong defensive defenseman with some offensive upside.
The Russian native scored 20 points in 75 games in 2024. He also provided 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) in the playoffs, averaging 20:09 TOI in 13 matches.
According to NHL reporter Irfaan Gaffar of Canucks Daily, reporting on May 25, the Vancouver Canucks offered Nikita Zadorov a “four or five-year contract” with an average annual value of $4.5 million.
“There was an offer that the Canucks did make, I believe it was [$4.5 million] over four, five years,” said Gaffar on the May 25 episode of the Rink Wide podcast. “The Zadorov camp did turn that one down.”
“Term is going to big for his agent Dan Milstein..”
@DonTaylor5 and @DhaliwalSports talked about what Nikita Zadorov has brought to the #Canucks and what a contract extension might look like.
According to Rick Dhaliwal, Zadorov and his agent are prioritizing terms over money on his next contract. He spoke about it on December 2023 in the Donnie & Dhali show.
“He’s going to ask for, and he will get, term. He’s 28 (29 in April 2024) years old. He’s one of the youngest defencemen that’s going to hit the free agent market on July 1,” Dhaliwal said. “Term is going to be big for his agent, Dan Milstein.”
Canucks’ Ian Cole Expected to Hit Free Agency
Along with Zadorov, Rick Dhaliwal reported on June 5 that fellow Canucks defenseman Ian Cole is also expected to hit free agency on July 1.
Looks like defenseman Ian Cole will hit the free agent market on July 1st.
More on Donnie and Dhali at 10am
With Cole having a smaller role and lower production than fellow pending UFA defensemen Tyler Myers and Nikita Zadorov, it’s reasonable for the Canucks to prioritize trying to sign those two first before trying to bring Cole back (if they even try).
Cole provided depth in the team’s bottom four playing 18:41 minutes per game through 78 regular-season appearances.
St. Louis drafted Cole in the 2007 NHL draft, but he’s become a nomad of late. The veteran, already 35, signed a one-year, $3 million contract in free agency in the 2023 summer. He played under one-year contracts for three years before this season.
Evolving Hockey projects Cole to land a one-year, $2.5 million deal on the open market.
CapFriendly projects the Canucks to have $23.7 million in cap space, although they currently have only 15 of the mandatory 23 players under contract.
Canucks’ Pending Free Agents Ahead of 2025
Vancouver has many pending unrestricted and restricted free agents entering the free-agent market on July 1.
According to a comprehensive report published on May 22 in The Athletic, the Canucks will prioritize re-signing Filip Hronek (RFA) while trying to retain and adding “size and scoring,”
“All indications are that Hronek’s preference is to find common ground on a suitable agreement to stay in a city that he enjoyed living in and playing in, with an organization that treated him well throughout his first Canucks campaign,” The Athletic reported with regards to Hronek’s free agency.
The full list of the Canucks free agents is as follows:
- Casey DeSmith, Goaltender, UFA
- Arturs Silovs, Goaltender, RFA
- Tyler Myers, Defenseman, UFA
- Filip Hronek, Defenseman, RFA
- Nikita Zadorov, Defenseman, UFA
- Ian Cole, Defenseman, UFA
- Mark Friedman, Defenseman, UFA
- Matt Irwin, Defenseman, UFA
- Elias Lindholm, Center, UFA
- Linus Karlsson, Center, RFA
- Sheldon Dries, Center, UFA