Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov is starting to be the player Avs Nation had been hoping for since the team acquired him in the 2015 Ryan O’Reilly trade.
Zadorov has always been an up and down player. The Buffalo Sabres drafted him in the first round, 15th overall, because the Russian appears to have such potential. He’s big — 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. Naturally, with that size, he plays a physical game, and that sometimes gets him in trouble. He’s been known to get out of position to make a big hit or take a penalty at just the wrong time.