Donnie & Dhali: Rick Dhaliwal on a final offer coming to defenseman Nikita Zadorov from the Vancouver Canucks.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Dhaliwal: “So Donnie, Zadorov still not signed.
Don Taylor: “By the Canucks.
Dhaliwal: “Yeah, by the Canucks. It’s, it’s a final offer is coming to Zadorov soon. The player and his agent, Dan Milstein, would love to re-sign in Vancouver but this is strictly about money.
It’s a tough contract to do because he’s gonna get a big raise and he’s gonna want term and we’re talking big term. You’ve got to take the emotion out of this because the Canucks know how much the fans in this city absolutely loved Zadorov’s playoff. This is a player all of Vancouver wants back Don. He’s got the size, tough to play against scored, some big goals.
Taylor: “Rock star.
Dhaliwal: “Rock star, yeah. He agitates teams. You saw what he did Evander Kane. But the Canucks can’t re-sign everybody. They just don’t have enough money. He is everything that (Rick) Tocchet wants in a defenseman.
You always talk about Vegas, the big D, Tocchet likes that. Well this is, this is why Tocchet loves Zadorov.
But he’s left-handed. If he was right-handed, Don, I’m telling you he would have been signed months ago.
The fact that Canucks are now going to try and sign, try one last time to try and make your work with Zadorov, tells you what they think of the player. Zadorov is going to be fine. He’s going to have a ton of teams on July 1st, whether he makes it there or not, we don’t know.
But I will tell you if he walks this will hurt the Canucks a big time.
Taylor: “What kind of money are we talking here Rick? What would the cap be?
Dhaliwal: “We’re talking term. Everyone seems to think he could get six times six on the open market but that, lock Don, agents can ask anything they want, it doesn’t mean they’re gonna get it.
Taylor: “Of course.
Dhaliwal: “Then they go to the market and, and depending on the market for defenseman on the left side. I think the market right now for July 1st is huge for right shot D.
Taylor: “Has been for long time.
Dhaliwal: “Yeah, and I think it’s huge for right shot D. I don’t know what he’s gonna get but I know there’s gonna be a ton, a ton of teams after Zadorov.
But I think the desire to get it done here from Zadorov and his agent is massive. They want it, they don’t want to go anywhere Don.
