Revisiting Nikita Zadorov’s potential fit with the Maple Leafs

A little more than a month away from the trade deadline, the Leafs have many of the same needs they entered the season with. General manager Brad Treliving will likely kick tires on depth scoring options and look to add another reliable forward to the bottom six, but upgrading the defensive core remains the top priority.

The Leafs have been tied to a few different potential trade targets dating back to last summer, including Nikita Zadorov, who they were heavily rumoured to be interested in before the Calgary Flames dealt the disgruntled defender to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a third-round pick and fifth-round pick back in early December. Now, it appears that Zadorov could be on the block once again as things haven’t gone according to plan early in his Canucks tenure.

Making sense of the Nikita Zadorov trade rumours

It stands to reason that the Leafs would still be interested, and the acquisition cost shouldn’t be overly prohibitive with the Canucks reportedly seeking to clear cap space, but is Zadorov the missing piece to the Leafs’ blue line, or would they be better served spending their limited trade assets elsewhere?

The Leafs’ defensive unit as a whole has struggled this season, but there have been some positive developments along the way. Morgan Rielly is probably playing the best hockey of his career, getting it done at both ends of the ice while facing stiff competition. Jake McCabe has been a physical force on the back end and has settled into a prominent role after a rocky start to the season. Simon Benoit, who was cast aside by the lowly Anaheim Ducks and started the season in the AHL, has established himself as one of the more physical and reliable defensive players on the team.

Even with those players stepping up and Timothy Liljegren continuing to develop his game, the Leafs haven’t been able to consistently defend at the level that will be required for a deep playoff run. Treliving has all but admitted to not having the desired personnel on the roster on more than one occasion, and that has only been exasperated by age catching up to heavily relied-upon players like TJ Brodie and Mark Giordano.

So, what kind of player should the Leafs be targeting to solidify their blue line?

When the Leafs acquired Luke Schenn ahead of last year’s deadline, few could have predicted that he would play alongside Rielly throughout the playoffs and perform as well as he did, but his play was a big part of Toronto taking down Tampa Bay in the first round. The Leafs should still be aiming higher than that, but finding the right fit will be key.

No one is going to mistake Zadorov for a true top-pairing defenceman, but he does check a lot of boxes for the Leafs. He’s got great size at 6’6″ and almost 240 pounds, and he has been one of the more physically imposing players in the league for a number of years. Zadorov is known for dishing out bone-crushing hits, and he won’t shy away from dropping the gloves when need be.