Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on the 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Loser Thinking episode on the Vancouver Canucks pending UFA defensemen Nikita Zadorov and Tyler Myers.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Marek: “Elliotte, the latest on the Vancouver Canucks including Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov. What do you hear? What do you know?”
Friedman: “Well, if Nikita Zadorov keeps golfing with Vancouver media people there’s gonna be a story a day. He’s on the golf course the other day with Murph and now there’s all of these scoops about what he’s asking for? How close they’ve been? Are they making progress? Are they not making progress?
NHL Rumors: Colorado Avalanche, and the Vancouver Canucks
This is what I can tell you. I think Nikita Zadorov has a number and the Vancouver Canucks, and I don’t know when it was, I don’t know if it was before the playoffs or I don’t want to get into all of the infighting in Vancouver right now.
I just believe Zadorov has a number and it might actually be a little less than he could get in the open market to stay in Vancouver. I don’t think Vancouver is far away from it. But I don’t think they’ve hit it. Now
I think they know what it’s gonna take to sign (Tyler) Myers and they can just park it, like a Sierra Elevation when you don’t …”
Marek: “Oh my.”
Friedman: “… use it, you just park it over there. Then you say, ‘I’ll get you when I’m ready.’ That’s what I think they’re doing with Myers.
When it comes to Zadorov, I don’t think they’re far but they haven’t gotten there. And because I think Zadorov is inclined to give them a bit of a break, they have to get there. I don’t want to handicap it. I don’t want to say it’s this percentage or that percentage.
NHL Rumors: The Vancouver Canucks and their Free Agents
I think Vancouver is trying to make the best deal they can. They’re not there and we’ll see where we go here. I don’t think this is impossible but I think they have to get there because I think Zadorov knows if he gets to the open market, he’s going to be happy with what’s out there. So it’s going to be up to the Canucks to get to the number he wants.”