Nikita Zadorov

Nobody expected a 14-goal season out of Zadorov, and that was one of the few pleasant surprises for the 2022-23 Flames. The bad news is there's virtually no way he shoots 10.8 percent over a full season again, and he didn't even have a career year in points after managing just seven assists. The 28-year-old remains a massive physical presence and will likely see time on the third pairing in 2023-24. He's recorded no fewer than 153 hits over the last seven seasons, and while he doesn't block a ton of shots, he can also make his presence felt there. How Zadorov fits in new head coach Ryan Huska's system remains to be seen. However, one thing is certain, the blueliner is unlikely to have as much leeway going forward as he did under Darryl Sutter.

Zadorov arrived in Calgary last season and immediately set a new career high in points with 22 in 74 games. That's the good news. The bad news is that his average ice time dipped from 19:12 in his lone season with the Blackhawks to 16:55 in his first year with the Flames. Zadorov still produced enough in both the hit (181) and block (49) departments to be worthy of a later round pick for managers struggling wanting in both categories, but the dip in playing time, if permanent, really hurts his already limited fantasy value.

Seeking to beef up on the blue line, the Flames sent a third-round pick to Chicago in exchange for Zadorov this offseason. They then signed the big Russian to a one-year, $3.75 million contract. Zadorov offers essentially nothing offensively -- his high point total in a single season is just 20 -- but he loves to throw the body around and should rack up well over 200 hits over the course of a full 82-game season. It's not an especially attractive fantasy profile, but Zadorov should be available in the very last rounds of fantasy drafts and makes for a cheap source of hits for those who fade the category in the early rounds.

Zadorov spent the 2019-20 season skating in a bottom-four role with the Avalanche, notching four goals and 13 points while racking up 65 PIM in 64 games. Now with the Blackhawks, he may get a bit more ice time in 2020-21, but he'll likely still struggle to produce at anything more than a 15-point pace. He'll rack up healthy totals in PIM and hits, but Zadorov won't be a viable fantasy option in leagues that don't reward those categories.

Clearly, the Avalanche aren't ready to give up on the Zadorov experiment, as the 6-foot-5, 230-pound defenseman signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract extension in July. The Russian has averaged 3.16 hits per game since his trade from Buffalo in the 2015 offseason, and he's recorded more blocked shots (334) than games played (292) between six years of service time in the NHL. Considering the rugged skater has compiled just 62 career points, Zadorov doesn't come with much fanfare in the fantasy realm, but he should benefit from the continuity of staying on board with Colorado for at least one more campaign.

In his first nearly full NHL campaign, Zadorov proved to be everything the Avalanche could hope for and more as an enforcer along the blue line. Not only did he deliver 278 hits to the opposition that resulted in 103 PIM, but he got in front of 106 opposing shots and pumped out 20 points despite rarely seeing time on the power play. Zadorov underwent shoulder surgery this offseason that could cost him the 2018-19 training camp, but there's no indication that he's expected to skip regular season action because of it. Assuming that's the case, there's no reason to dampen the 23-year-old blueliner's prospects heading into the 2018-19 season.

Zadorov offers almost nothing offensively, having failed to light the lamp since the 2014-15 campaign. Where his slim value resides is in PIM, as the 22-year-old Russian racked up 73 minutes in the sin bin despite suiting up for just 56 contests last season. The restricted free agent has also threatened to bolt to the WHL unless Colorado offers a contract that’s to his liking. That said, finding a replacement option with more offensive upside won't be difficult should the Avalanche refuse to cave to Zadorov’s demands.

With the departure of Nick Holden to the Rangers, Zadorov has an opportunity before him to stake a claim within the Avs' top four. The blueliner spent a majority of last season with AHL San Antonio, and in 22 games with Colorado, he accumulated just two assists and 12 PIM. The sample size is small, but with Buffalo the year before, the 2013 first-round pick was able to reach 15 points and 51 minutes in the penalty box. At 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, and still a developing offensive asset, the 21-year-old Zadorov will first have to prove he belongs in the NHL before he’s considered an option outside of keeper leagues and deep formats.

Part of the draft day trade that sent Ryan O’Reilly to the Sabres, the 20-year-old Zadorov should fit in just fine on a burgeoning Colorado blue line. At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Zadorov offers ideal size from the blue line, and showed flashes of offensive upside on the dreadful Sabres last season, recording three goals and 15 points in 60 games. The blueliner supplemented his scoring by dishing out 134 hits and logging 17:42 of ice time, figures that are only expected to grow as he approaches his prime years. While Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson are the power-play quarterbacks in Colorado, Zadorov should be able to land a spot on the second man-advantage unit and create offense alongside some very crafty forwards. Zadorov may be viewed a big-bodied shutdown type, but he has a booming shot and could make a run at 20 points in 2015-16. That should be enough for him to make an impact in deeper formats this season, and he's an even more attractive entity in multi-year keeper leagues.

A punishing hitter with a fearsome slap shot, Zadorov is the future physical anchor of the Sabres’ blue line. He finished the season in the OHL after a seven-game stint with the Sabres the previous season, and though there is no denying the Russian teenager has the talent to become a top NHL defenseman one day, he still has a long way to go. The 19-year-old could win a starting job with the Sabres for the 2014-15 season, but since he’s ineligible for AHL play, he could also return to juniors for his overage season.

Zadorov was the second of two defensemen selected by the Sabres in the first round of June’s NHL Draft. The 6’5”, 221 pound Russian is a physical force on the blue line and is coming off a season in which he helped the London Knights to an OHL Championship. Zadorov is more of a project than the Sabres’ other first-rounder, Rasmus Ristolainen, and is likely two or three seasons away from competing for a spot with the big club. His long-term potential is that of a physical, shut-down defender, but the current season will likely see a return to the OHL to continue his development.