The Avalanche may have finally found their shutdown defenseman

Colorado sports fans are no strangers to having certain defensive players eliminate one star player from the other team and make them a non-factor.

Broncos fans knew for almost a decade that they could throw Champ Bailey out against the other team’s best receiver and never have to worry about it.

For years, Avs fans got to watch Adam Foote make life miserable for the best player on the opposing team.

Now, it’s time for the Avs to unleash Nikita Zadorov in a similar role.

Avs fans have been watching him for years now. The tantalizing skillset is almost unmatched. 6’5″ defensemen like that are not supposed to move the way he does. The random rushes up the ice where he makes everyone look silly. The game-changing open-ice hits. It seems like he’s been around forever, and yet, he’s only 24.

But the total package has not come together, and it’s possible it never will. The bouts with inconsistency are still there. The frustrating penalties still happen far too frequently. He’s put in the press box when the staff feels like they have no other options. On a one-year deal, and with Bowen Byram and Conor Timmins on their way soon, Zadorov needs to carve out a role with the Avs to stick around.

That role needs to be “The Eliminator”; The guy who you throw out against the other team’s best player and say “make his life miserable tonight.”

We’ve already seen Zadorov excel when given this job, and it’s something he enjoys doing.

“I like those challenges,” Zadorov told DNVR exclusively after he shut down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. “[Jared Bednar] told me a couple of days ago that I’m going to match against them, so I was ready. I think I’m good at it when I go and when I play my game, I just need good consistency.”

McDavid had an 11-game point streak coming into that game. Draisaitl had registered points in 15 of 16. The two of them went scoreless and combined for only four shots on goal.

“I wanted more out of him and we decided to challenge him and give him that assignment,” Bednar said of Zadorov after the Edmonton win. “It wasn’t perfect, I don’t think it’s ever going to be perfect against a couple of players like that, but I would say Z did a really nice job. He was good, and he did it without taking any penalties too.”

A challenge like that might be what Zadorov needs every night to keep him focused. Simplify the game for him, and give him a big goal to strive for every night. It’s not going to be perfect every night, but this may be the way to get the best out of him. On Friday afternoon and Saturday evening, he followed Patrick Kane around and kept him at bay as much as he could at even strength. Kane was only able to register goals against the Avs against their third pairing and on a two man advantage, and both goals came when the games were well out of hand. Zadorov was on the ice for neither of those goals.

Anyone who watched the Edmonton and Chicago games could see a more focused Zadorov. When McDavid and Kane were on the ice, the Russian defenseman often would shadow them, not letting them leave his sights. This sort of simplicity could take the Avs far. After those three games, Bednar was impressed.

“That’s what we’re hoping,” Bednar said, regarding using Zadorov in the shutdown role. “The last three games were probably the three best games he’s grouped together all season. Steady force back there played physical, ended a lot of plays, getting quick to contact in the defensive zone. Such a big guy and when he uses his skating, he’s hard to get around, and we saw that in all three games.”

I’m reminded of another Russian defenseman’s career arc when I look at Zadorov, and I may age myself on this one. Anton Volchenkov was a first round pick for the Ottawa Senators in 2000. He had some promising years in the NHL, a good year in the AHL, but was never able to find that consistency and looked like he may be on his way out in Ottawa.

In 2006, at the age of 24 (Zadorov’s age now), Ottawa turned Volchenkov into their defensive shutdown master. They gave him the assignment every night to shut down the other teams best and keep them off the scoresheet. Whether it was through big hits, blocked shots, or smart defensive play, Volchenkov thrived in the role, and Ottawa came within a few games of winning the Stanley Cup. Volchenkov had found his niche in the NHL and was able to carve out a successful career before his body couldn’t handle the grind anymore.

If you compare skillsets, Zadorov has Volchenkov beat in every way. A guy Zadorov’s size should not be able to follow around the McDavid’s of the world and keep up. When you throw in the intimidation factor and the bomb of a shot, the comparison between the two players skillsets isn’t even close.

Now, it’s up to the Avs to utilize that skillset in the best way possible. Zadorov as “The Eliminator” could prove very beneficial for the Avs, and for Zadorov’s career.