Nikita Igorevich Zaitsev (Russian: Никита Игоревич Зайцев; born 29 October 1991) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for SKA Saint Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
| Nikita Zaitsev | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Zaitsev with Russia in 2014 | |||
| Born |
29 October 1991 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 195 lb (88 kg; 13 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| KHL team Former teams |
SKA Saint Petersburg Sibir Novosibirsk CSKA Moscow Toronto Maple Leafs Ottawa Senators Chicago Blackhawks | ||
| National team |
 Russia | ||
| NHL draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2009–present | ||
Playing career
editKHL
editZaitsev was selected by Sibir Novosibirsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in the first round, fourth overall, of the 2009 KHL Junior Draft, making his debut for the club a few months later. After four years with the Sibir organization, Zaitsev joined his hometown CSKA Moscow, after which he began to attract international attention. He was twice a KHL All-Star (2015, 2016) and named once to the KHL First All-Star team (2014–15).[1]
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In the summer of 2015, the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Toronto Maple Leafs began to garner publicized interest in Zaitsev; Zaitsev had even toured the city and arena, while also meeting with team staff, coming away "very impressed".[2] Despite this, Zaitsev returned to Russia to honour the final year of his contract with CSKA.[2] During the subsequent season's playoffs, he led all defencemen in scoring with 13 points (tied with Sami Lepistö and Chris Lee), while helping the top-seeded CSKA to the Gagarin Cup finals, where the team lost in the deciding Game 7 to Metallurg Magnitogorsk.[3]
NHL
editToronto Maple Leafs
editOn 2 May 2016, Zaitsev signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs.[1] He made his pre-season debut with the club on 2 October, scoring a goal in a 3–2 win over the rival Montreal Canadiens. On 12 October 2016, Zaitsev made his official NHL debut in a 5–4 loss to the Ottawa Senators in the 2016–17 season opener, and was singled out for his good play by coach Mike Babcock.[4] He scored his first NHL goal on 17 December 2016 against the Pittsburgh Penguins.[5] By the end of the season, Zaitsev had accumulated 36 points, second most on the team and had earned a top-four spot among Toronto's defencemen, playing on the penalty kill and power play units.[6] In the playoffs, Zaitsev missed the first two games[7] and upon his return, was tasked with shutting down Alexander Ovechkin's line in the Maple Leafs' series with the Washington Capitals.[8] The Capitals went on to beat the Maple Leafs in six games.[9]
On 2 May 2017, Zaitsev signed a new seven-year, $31.5 million contract with Toronto carrying an average annual value of $4.5 million.[10] This was based on his play from the previous season where he was one of the minutes played leaders among Maple Leafs' defencemen.[8] During the 2017–18 season, Zaitsev was placed on injured reserve (IR) with a lower body injury on 17 December 2017. He had 7 points in 18 games with Toronto before being placed on IR.[11] After missing 17 games, he returned to the lineup on 30 January 2018 for a game against the New York Islanders.[12] Though used heavily by the Maple Leafs his play was not as good as in his first season and he only amassed 13 points in 60 games.[13] He finished the 2018–19 season with 14 points in 81 games and faced criticism for his play during the playoffs in which he led the Maple Leafs in turnovers with 11.[14][15] That offseason Zaitsev reportedly requested a trade out of Toronto.[16]
Ottawa Senators
editOn 1 July 2019, Zaitsev was traded (along with Connor Brown and Michael Carcone) to the Ottawa Senators in exchange for Cody Ceci, Ben Harpur, Aaron Luchuk and a third-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.[17] In his first season with the Senators, Zaitsev was paired with Thomas Chabot on the team's top defence pairing and was named one of the team's alternate captains. The Senators head coach, D. J. Smith, played Zaitsev as a defensive defenceman, playing against the opposing team's top players.[18] Zaitsev struggled through the following pandemic-shortened 2021–22 season, being paired with multiple partners in an effort to find some chemistry.[19] He was among the players that missed time after being placed on the COVID protocol list in November.[20] In December Zaitsev was injured in a game versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, forcing him to miss four weeks.[21]
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion attempted to trade Zaitsev during the 2022 offseason but could find no partners.[19] His play to begin the 2022–23 season was "tumultuous" and he was placed on waivers on 9 November 2022.[22] Zaitsev cleared waivers on 10 November and was demoted to the Senators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Belleville Senators, on 18 November.[23] He played in three games in the AHL before being recalled on 1 December.[22]
Chicago Blackhawks
editOn 22 February 2023, Zaitsev was traded with a second-round pick in 2023 (Roman Kantserov) and a fourth-round pick in 2026 to the Chicago Blackhawks for future considerations.[24] He made his Chicago debut on 4 March in a 3–1 loss to the Nashville Predators.[25] He scored his first goal with the Blackhawks on 23 March, preventing a shutout in a 6–1 loss to the Washington Capitals.[26] In his second season with Chicago, Zaitsev injured his right knee in a game versus the San Jose Sharks on 16 January 2024.[27] He returned to the lineup on 9 March.[28]
Return to KHL
editOn 4 July 2024, as an unrestricted free agent, Zaitsev returned to the KHL, signing a four-year contract with SKA St. Petersburg.[29]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | MHC Krylya Sovetov | RUS.2 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | MHC Krylya Sovetov–2 | RUS.4 | 23 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Sibir Novosibirsk | KHL | 40 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Siberian Snipers | MHL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Sibir Novosibirsk | KHL | 39 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2010–11 | Siberian Snipers | MHL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Zauralie Kurgan | VHL | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Sibir Novosibirsk | KHL | 53 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Siberian Snipers | MHL | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Sibir Novosibirsk | KHL | 49 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 41 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | ||
| 2013–14 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 33 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 27 | ||
| 2014–15 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 57 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 31 | 16 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2015–16 | CSKA Moscow | KHL | 46 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 20 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 10 | ||
| 2016–17 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 82 | 4 | 32 | 36 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 60 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2018–19 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 81 | 3 | 11 | 14 | 18 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 58 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 55 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 62 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 28 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Belleville Senators | AHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 38 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| KHL totals | 317 | 32 | 63 | 95 | 156 | 51 | 7 | 17 | 24 | 49 | ||||
| NHL totals | 482 | 22 | 96 | 118 | 197 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
International
edit Zaitsev at the 2010 World Junior Championships | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Ice hockey | ||
| Representing Russia
| ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2016 Russia | |
| |
2019 Slovakia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2011 United States | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
 |
2009 United States | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Russia | WJC18 | 
|
7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 | |
| 2010 | Russia | WJC | 6th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2011 | Russia | WJC | 
|
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2013 | Russia | WC | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Russia | WC | 
|
10 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2016 | Russia | WCH | 4th | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Russia | WC | 6th | 8 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Russia | WC |
|
10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 19 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | ||||
| Senior totals | 35 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award or Honour | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| KHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2015, 2016 | [1] |
| First All Star Team | 2015 | [1] |
| Most playoff points by a defenceman (13) | 2016 | [1] |
| International | ||
| WC All-Star Team | 2016 | |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Maple Leafs Sign Defenceman Nikita Zaitsev". National Hockey League. 2 May 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Leafs summer recruit Nikita Zaitsev thriving in final year of KHL deal". Pension Plan Puppets. 22 October 2015. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ^ "Alex Semin, Metallurg win KHL championship in thrilling Game 7". Roger's Sportsnet. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
- ^ Feschuk, Dave (12 October 2016). "Leafs' Matthews offers a tour de four in debut: Feschuk". Toronto Star. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Siegel, Jonas (17 December 2016). "Gardiner bags overtime winner in Leafs' 2-1 over Pittsburgh". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Siegel, Jonas (2 May 2017). "Leafs sign Nikita Zaitsev to seven-year deal at $4.5-million per season". The Globe and Mail. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Siegel, Jonas (16 April 2017). "Nikita Zaitsev to return from injury for Leafs in Game 3 versus Capitals". Ottawa Citizen. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ a b Kennedy, Ryan (19 July 2017). "Maple Leafs' Zaitsev Looking to Build on Successful First NHL Season". The Hockey News. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Washington Capitals-Toronto Maple Leafs series recap: Scores, highlights and more". The Washington Post. 24 April 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Maple Leafs sign Nikita Zaitsev to long-term extension; Ben Smith inked". Sportsnet. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "Maple Leafs recall Martin Marincin, place Nikita Zaitsev on IR". Sportsnet. The Canadian Press. 17 December 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2017.
- ^ "Holl, Dermott pick up first career NHL goals as Leafs beat Islanders". TSN. 31 January 2018. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
Defenceman Nikita Zaitsev was also back in Toronto's lineup after missing 17 games with a foot injury.
- ^ Auguello, Michael (2 May 2018). "Maple Leafs 2017-18 report card: So many highs, before painful playoff end". The Sporting News. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Johnston, Mike (30 May 2019). "Maple Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev available to be moved". Sportsnet. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ Cantlon, Kyle (3 June 2019). "Disgruntled Leafs blueliner Nikita Zaitsev calls Don Cherry a 'clown'". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ Hornby, Lance (31 May 2019). "Requested Zaitsev trade could help Dubas, Leafs and the defenceman". Toronto Sun. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ "Senators acquire Zaitsev, Brown from Toronto in six-player deal". Ottawa Senators. 1 July 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2019 – via NHL.com.
- ^ McGran, Kevin (14 October 2021). "Former Leafs Connor Brown and Nikita Zaitsev are thriving with the Senators". Toronto Star. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ a b Warren, Ken (28 September 2022). "Warrenspiece: What's in Zaitsev's future, Greig sleeps easy and Stutzle mum on Giroux's faceoff magic". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Senators place Zaitsev in COVID protocol; Thomson to make NHL debut". Sportsnet. The Canadian Press. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Kimmelman, Adam (18 December 2021). "Zaitsev out four weeks for Senators with heel injury". National Hockey League. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
- ^ a b "Senators recall defenceman Nikita Zaitsev from AHL". Sportsnet. 1 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Senators' Nikita Zaitsev: AHL bound". CBS Sports. 18 November 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Zaitsev traded to Blackhawks by Senators". National Hockey League. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "Barrie, Saros lead Predators past Blackhawks 3-1". ESPN. Associated Press. 4 March 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Thompson, Phil (24 March 2023). "3 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks' 3rd straight loss, including a rough goalie debut for Anton Khudobin". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Carlson, Matt (17 January 2024). "More Injuries For Depleted Blackhawks: D-Man Nikita Zaitsev to IR". The Hockey News. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Pope, Ben (9 March 2024). "Blackhawks' Nikita Zaitsev returns, but Andreas Athanasiou not quite ready". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ O'Brien, Derek (4 July 2024). "Nikita Zaitsev signs 4-year deal with SKA St. Petersburg". The Hockey News. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
- Nikita Zaitsev profile and statistics at KHL.ru