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Zadorov signs two-year contract |
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Rick Sadowski
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Big Z is in the fold.
The Avalanche on Friday announced that defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who was a restricted free agent, has signed a two-year contract. He will be paid $2.1 million this season and $2.2 million in 2018-19.
The signing was announced after the Avalanche completed their first on-ice sessions of training camp at the Family Sports Center in Centennial, Colo.
Coach Jared Bednar said he didn't know if Zadorov, 22, would be on the ice Saturday.
"I think it's important for our team to get it done," he said of the signing. "He played an important role on our team last year. I think it was a growth season for him. You look at our back end and where he has potential to go, we're excited about getting him done and getting him in here as soon as possible."
Zadorov joins Mark Barberio, Tyson Barrie and Erik Johnson as the only returning regulars on defense. Chris Bigras, Anton Lindholm, Andrei Mironov and Duncan Siemens are in the mix for roster spots.
The 6-feet-5, 230-pound Zadorov had 10 assists, 73 penalty minutes and a team-leading 153 hits in 56 games last season. He missed the final 25 games to recover from a broken ankle.
“Zadorov is a big, young, physical defenseman who was starting to emerge as one of our top D before his injury last season,” general manager Joe Sakic said in a release. "He's an important part of our blue line and we expect him to log big minutes this year. We are excited to have him under contract.”
Zadorov was a first-round pick (No. 16) of Buffalo in the 2013 NHL draft. The Avalanche acquired him June 26, 2015 from the Sabres in the Ryan O'Reilly trade.
Zadorov, who is from Moscow, has 28 points (four goals, 24 assists) and 140 penalty minutes in 145 NHL games.
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Matt Duchene didn't talk to the media after taking part in the second on-ice session Friday. He skated most of the time with Alex Kerfoot and Nail Yakupov.
"I thought he went to work today, I thought he was great," Bednar said. "The whole line -- Kerfoot, Yakupov and him -- they scored some nice goals, they had some chemistry. It was good to watch. They're obviously three talented offensive guys, and I thought that was a real good line here. It's good to see that and I'm sure he's enjoying that."
Bednar said he hadn't had the chance to talk to Duchene, who on Thursday said in a quick statement that he wouldn't take questions and was reporting to camp to honor his contract and out of respect for the fans and for his teammates.
"I'm sure I'll catch up with him at some point (Friday)," Bednar said.
A team picture of Duchene during a photo shoot that was posted on social media showed him wearing a jersey without the 'A' he wore last season.
Asked if this was significant, Bednar said:
"I haven't talked about our leadership group yet. Every year you have a different team. We know that our captain is Gabe Landeskog, we know Dutchy and (Nathan MacKinnon) wore letters last year. But we have new players that have come in, experienced guys, guy like (Colin) Wilson, some young guys that have been with us a little bit that we like.
"I want to evaluate how our team interacts. It doesn't mean your leadership or letters on a jersey can't change. For me, every year is a new year, it's a different group. I want to look at who's taking control of our leadership situation, who's going above and beyond to help guys around them to make them better.
"I think it's even more important this year because we're a really young team. We need guys experienced and leadership to go beyond just wearing a letter on their jersey. There's a lot of responsibility with getting that on there. At some point we'll make a decision as to who's going to wear letters and exactly how this will play out and what type of group we'll bring in for some leadership meetings."
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