Senators see KHL’s Zub as NHL-ready competitor
The NHL is on pause, but work continues behind the scenes for the Ottawa Senators.
Nobody knows how — or when — the NHL is going to return because of the worldwide COVID-19 crisis, but the business of hockey is still taking place, and the Senators are considered a front-runner to sign Kontinental Hockey League unrestricted free agent defenceman Artyom Zub.
TSN’s Darren Dreger reported on Wednesday morning that the Senators are one of two finalists in the race to sign the 24-yearold Zub, who finished with 13 goals and 22 points in 57 games with SKA St. Petersburg this season. The KHL confirmed on Wednesday that it has called off the balance of its season, so Zub will have time to ponder the two offers he’s received from NHL teams before inking a deal for next season.
“The Senators remain a top choice,” Dreger said.
Senators general manager Pierre Dorion, who has been working from home since the club arrived back from its trip to California on March 12, got a chance to see Zub first-hand when he travelled overseas in January. That trip was focused mainly on scouting top prospects for the NHL draft that was scheduled for June 26-27 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, but has been postponed.
Of course, Dorion made time to watch Zub play, and he liked what he saw.
Zub has been on the club’s radar for a while. He’s a defensive defenceman who could play the role left vacant by the decision to move Dylan DeMelo to the Winnipeg Jets before the NHL trade deadline in February.
Zub is a competitor who is considered hard to play against, which is right up the Senators’ alley because coach D.J. Smith wants this club to play better in its own end.
“If he signs with Ottawa, he’s going to get the opportunity to play a lot,” said a league executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “He’s an NHL-ready player. He can come in and play NHL games. You’re not signing a college kid who needs to come in and get stronger or get experience.
“This guy has played at world championships, he’s played for the national team (in Russia).”
Defence is an area where the Senators have depth at the NHL level in addition to prospects in the system. The club already has Thomas Chabot, Nikita Zaitsev, Mike Reilly and Christian Wolanin under contract for next season, and plans to hold talks with veteran unrestricted free agents Ron Hainsey and Mark Borowiecki. Dorion has stated publicly he wants to keep Borowiecki in the fold.
They have Erik Brannstrom, Andreas Englund and Christian Jaros in the minors, and other top prospects include Jacob Bernard-Docker (University of North Dakota), Lassi Thomson (Finland) and Olie Alsing (Sweden).
Nobody is sure what the second team in the mix is, but the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings are believed to be among those that have been watching Zub closely.
It’s not known what kind of deal Zub would sign with the Senators, but judging by history, it would be similar to the oneyear contract Zaitsev received from the Leafs when he decided to move to North America. That was an entry-level deal capped at $925,000 that included a $92,500 signing bonus and performance bonuses of up to $850,000.