[sureLoss]

Friedman expands on Zaitsev in his latest 30 thoughts:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/3...chs-challenge/

The 24-year-old right-shot defenceman is a free agent, scheduled to come to North America next season. At one point, it was thought he would sign last summer, but decided to stay one more year. Philadelphia and Toronto were hot-and-heavy for his services with Calgary, Los Angeles and Vancouver lurking nearby.

“If he’s not 100 per cent ready for the NHL,” one GM said, “he’s really close.”

According to several sources, a few teams have recently visited Russia (believed to include Arizona, Detroit and Edmonton) to scout and check his availability. Zaitsev is also on the country’s roster for the upcoming Karjala Cup, an international tournament in Finland also involving the Czech Republic and Sweden. Several NHL clubs are expected to be there, too.

Success in the North American game is no guarantee, but two things set Zaitsev apart from other later-arriving Russian imports. His English is pretty good, and he spends time in the summer training with Gary Roberts. I think he’s done it three times now, although the last trip was shorter than normal due to injury.

He is eligible to sign as of March 1, when his KHL contract is up, although that could be delayed if he chooses to play in the World Championships. By CBA rules, Zaitsev would sign a one-year entry-level contract. After that, he would become a restricted free agent.

Also mentioned is that there is confusion as to which agent actually represents Zaitsev as Friedman has been told 3 different names by 3 different people.