Avalanche GM Joe Sakic said he expected restricted free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov to show up to training on time because the two sides were close to striking a deal.
Well, Zadorov’s camp clearly doesn’t feel the same way.
According to Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston, Zadorov won’t be showing up for the start of training camp.
Update: He’s definitely not there:
Nikita Zadorov is not here, not on preseason roster #Avs
— Mike Chambers (@MikeChambers) September 14, 2017
Earlier this off-season, there were rumblings that Zadorov had a “mutual agreement” in place with a KHL team, but that didn’t appear to pan out.
Speaking of not panning out, the 22-year-old’s career has gotten off to a slow start since the Buffalo Sabres made him the 16th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
In fairness to Zadorov, he’s still young enough that he can develop into a solid blue liner for the Avs down the road. Now, they just have to find a way to get him under contract so that this holdout doesn’t linger.
He had no goals, 10 assists, 73 penalty minutes and a minus-20 rating in 56 games with the last-place Avalanche last season.
The 6-foot-5, 220-pound rearguard was acquired from the Sabres as part of a package for Ryan O’Reilly back in the summer of 2015.
On another Avs-related note, it appears as though Matt Duchene is attending training camp even though the team hasn’t dealt him yet. TSN’s Darren Dreger says both sides are still committed to a trade.