Colorado Avalanche Get Brandon Saad, Trade Zadorov

The Colorado Avalanche add a scoring winger in Brandon Saad, sending defender Nikita Zadorov to the Chicago Blackhawks in a 4-player deal.

Farewell, Big Z.

After relative silence, the Avs finally made their first major offseason move Saturday, saying goodbye to Nikita Zadorov, as well as Anton Lindholm, sending both defensemen to the Chicago Blackhawks. In return they got none other than two-time Stanley Cup champion, and one-time 30 goal scorer, Brandon Saad and defenseman Dennis Gilbert. The Blackhawks also retain $1 million of Saad’s salary next season.

With Saad, the Avs (barring a very, very team friendly deal with Taylor Hall) have the top 6 winger they’ve been looking to add.

So where does this trade stand?

What the Avs Lose

For one, the Avs lose a fan favourite, and cap brand man, in Nikita Zadorov.

Since being one of the key pieces in the Ryan O’Reilly trade back in 2015, the former first round pick had a shaky stint with the Avs. Finding a niche with his size in his five seasons with the Avalanche, he was given the moniker “Big Z” (or rather, had it stolen from Bruins captain Zdeno Chara, but that’s beside the point) for his brutal hits. Having Big Z around made playing the Avs something few teams looked forward to.

These past few years, Zadorov found himself demoted to the bottom pairing. Struggling throughout the season and playoffs, partially due to injuries, he would occasionally show signs of the player he could be. Other times, he would find himself a liability for an otherwise stacked Avs team, making him the bane of Avs fans. With Bowen Byram set to become an NHL regular, and Zadorov having a $3.2 million cap hit, it didn’t make sense for the Avs to keep him around.

Going with him is Anton Lindholm, who at almost 26, still hasn’t made the complete jump to the NHL. Having split the last few seasons with the Avs and Eagles, and in a system with a seemingly never-ending group of defense prospects, there wasn’t a lot of room for Lindholm. Or any.

What the Avs Gain

More from Mile High Sticking

Brandon Saad.

It might not be Taylor Hall or Patrik Laine like everybody on Twitter said, but Brandon Saad is the perfect fit for the Colorado Avalanche current top 6.

Although he had a year marred by injuries, Saad still managed 21 goals in 58 games, good for third on Chicago goal leaders. He’s a clutch performer who boasts an average of .36 goals per night, which would amount to 29.52 goals in 82 game season. Having reached 30 goals once, and being a constant 20+ goal scorer, playing alongside Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen occasionally could make that happen again. Even with Nazem Kadri, his most likely linemate, the two are easy to combine for an offensive force.

Then there’s also experience. It’s a cliche, but two Stanley Cups are nothing to scoff at. Especially when you won them with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

Also coming the other way is Dennis Gilbert, drafted 91st overall in 2015. A defensive defenseman like Lindholm, but a bruiser like Zadorov, Gilbert played 21 games in the NHL, amounting to 38 penalty minutes. Although he doesn’t have the size Zadorov had, Gilbert could fill that role should he become a regular on the Avs.

The Verdict

It’s foolproof. Saad has a very good upside, one the Colorado Avalanche could very well use.

Zadorov wasn’t a terrible player, but his loss leaves a hole for what he brought to the team. Like virtually every Avs fan, watching Big Z smash was the best part of the game. He was my favourite player for a long time, and he was someone who made Denver, and the team, his home.

But. as said, it’s a trade the Avalanche needed to make. And Brandon Saad is no slouch.

Of course, when Saad inevitably returns to the Blackhawks, the Avs may end up with an Artemi Panarin-level player, but that’s a few years down the road.