If the Vancouver Canucks truly have made any headway in contract discussions with pending unrestricted free agent defenceman Nikita Zadorov, that’s news to his agent.
Dan Milstein, the NHL mega-agent whose client list at Gold Star Hockey includes Nikita Kucherov, Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Ilya Sorokin, took to social media on Thursday afternoon to refute a report by Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre that the Canucks have made “significant traction” in contract talks with Zadorov.
“Amid Canuck coaching news the last couple of weeks, there has been significant traction in contract talks w UFAs Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm,” MacIntyre tweeted on Thursday. “Maybe neither re-signs, but it’s possible the Canucks could keep both players.”
Just 25 minutes later, Milstein fired back a short response: “Fake News…”
Zadorov, 29, became a fan favourite in Vancouver after being acquired from the Calgary Flames in November in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2024 fifth-round pick (the latter of which the Flames later flipped for defenceman Nikita Okhotiuk).
In 54 games with the Canucks to close out the 2023-24 regular season, Zadorov racked up five goals and 14 points to go along with 102 penalty minutes. He added four goals and eight points in 13 playoff contests with averaging 20:09 of ice time per night.
Earlier on Thursday, Vancouver hockey insider Rick Dhaliwal painted a much less encouraging picture about the Zadorov situation in conversation with Don Taylor on Donnie & Dhali – The Team.
“I’ve been texting with Milstein all week, Donnie,” Dhaliwal said. “He says, ‘No progress,’ which we’ve been reporting for a long time. No offers or conversations about contracts since the playoffs ended. No talks in a while. The Canucks have not met with Milstein in Buffalo, that surprises me, at the Combine.
“Term is a big issue here, Don. Zadorov’s looking for big term. Canucks, can they do that? Time will tell,” Dhaliwal added. One phone call can change everything, but right now, I have to say to you, it looks bleak.”
Through 642 career games over parts of 11 NHL seasons with the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Flames, and Canucks, Zadorov has collected 47 goals and 146 points. He’s added eight goals and 19 points in 58 playoff games.
