Insider: Nikita Zadorov's Future Plans Are Imminent

The Vancouver Canucks have their hands full with a number of unrestricted free agents to deal with this summer. It appears that one of those will be settled in the coming days—but which way it goes might not appeal to Canucks fans.

According to hockey insider Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast, a decision on Nikita Zadorov's future with—or without—the Canucks, appears imminent.

I think we're gonna know in the next few days if there's any hope on Zadorov. Like I said, it appears unlikely, but someone reached out to me and said 'that one's not over yet... It might be over soon, but not yet.' I would say the odds are less than 50%.

Rumors have been running wild about the 6'6" defenseman's demands, which some say have been as high as six years at $6 million per. That seems a bit rich for a player who has never truly established himself as a top-four d-man.

But size matters when it comes to defense, especially in the playoffs. And if Vancouver is unable to come to an agreement by the end of the month, there are a number of teams who will be all over Zadorov. What he'll get on the open market is an open question.

While AFP Analytics projects his cap hit on a new deal at $5.3 million, Frank Seravalli at Daily Faceoff pegs it at $5 million. The big blueliner is obviously hoping that the robust demand will drive it up.

Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal says, "A final offer is coming to Zadorov soon."