Zaitsev keen to stay in Toronto

BUFFALO— If the Toronto Maple Leafs work out a contract extension, Nikita Zaitsev will be a happy hockey player.

“I’m excited to be in Toronto,” Zaitsev said Sunday. “I played in Moscow, there was 2,000 or 3,000 people at the game. I was surprised at the big crowds here, all the people watching the games . . . that’s why you come to work hard every day.”

As first reported by TSN, the Leafs are in the midst of negotiations with the rookie Russian defenceman and his representatives on a deal that could be as long as seven years, at $4.5 million per year.

The 25-year-old Zaitsev, with four goals, 30 assists, and a team-leading 22:16 of ice time per game, is an integral a part of the young Leafs.

“He’s done a great job, he gets top minutes, he’s on the power play, the penalty kill,” said fellow defenceman Morgan Rielly.

“We all knew it would happen. Whenever you get a guy (from another league), it can take time for him to get going, but it didn’t take that long with him.

“He’s quiet, he’s a real pro, he works hard, and he wants to improve. He’s got a young family and, when you have a person like that, it works real well for the team.”

While Zaitsev has been, arguably, the Leafs’ most consistent and versatile defender, he is a minus-21.

“Some people focus on that minus, I think he’s been nothing but a plus for us,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said. “He puts out tons of fires for us. He’s ultra competitive, he’s smart. He plays against the best opposition players every night. He’s a real pro, and I hope he’s a Leaf for a long time.”

Zaitsev is familiar with the intensity of a playoff race, having gone to the KHL final with CSKA Moscow last year, and that experience has helped him achieve success in the NHL in a short time. But he’s far from being comfortable, despite a potential extension in the offing.

“I think I progressed,” he said. “It was a tough start, but I got some games in and I thought I would get better.

“I already know what I have to work on in the off-season. This is a different league (than the KHL), the intensity of the game, the intensity of the schedule.

“But I don’t think about that, we all know what we have to do, and we know what our jobs are — to get into the playoffs.”