Maple Leafs Roundtable: The Player Most Looking Forward To
By Tim Chiasson
Nick DeSouza: Nikita Zaitsev
The young player I am most excited for is definitely, the 24 year old, Nikita Zaitsev. Out of all the new young players, Zaitsev could be the player with the least noticeable “growing pains”. Pairing Zaitsev with Jake Gardiner, an elite possession player, not only helps ease Zaitsev into the NHL, but also has potential to be explosive for the Leafs this upcoming season.
In the KHL, Zaitsev was an above 0.5 point per game player while playing top minutes with CSKA Moskva. Many fans have still been skeptical of Zaitsev knowing this, due to the mystery behind the quality of the KHL in comparison to the NHL.
Zaitsev proved his critics wrong with his performance at the IIHF world championships, where he was voted one of the best two defensemen at the tournament. What was surprising for myself was Zaitsev’s positive possession impact that he had on the Russian team. He finished with a 68 CF% and ranked 6th among defensemen in gross Corsi +/-.
The Gardiner/Zaitsev pairing just keeps getting better and better when analyzing their potential at even strength. However, Zaitsev could even help the Leafs powerplay thanks to his big shot and puck moving abilities. A spot on the top power play should be strongly considered by Babcock and company. As a result, Nikita Zaitsev could be the defensemen the Leafs have been waiting for.
Next: Sandy Taver: Auston Matthews