[united]

LOVE the one-year term. This is what we need more of. Not only is term a form of handcuffs when things don't work out, players in contract years - especially UFA years - are fully self-motivated to excel to maximize their long-term compensation. So while the money is arguably a bit high, I don't mind it at all in this case.

One thing of note is that in the JFresh/TopDownHockey chart, a significant portion of Zadorov's low WAR is from his deservedly horrendous penalty differential. For a depth player, if you assume every 4th or 5th net penalty results in a goal against, that adds up quickly. And while 3 or 4 goals may not seem like much, those are margins that matter in a high-parity salary cap league especially for depth players competing against others. However, when you break his penalty differential down by year, he appears to be on the right track:

2018-19: -1.05/60
2019-20: -0.95/60
2020-21: -0.45/60

For that reason, I think the JFresh/TopDownHockey chart, which uses a weighted three-year age-adjusted average, is potentially underselling Zadorov.

For context, the worst Flames defenceman last year was Valimaki at -0.63/60 followed by Hanifin at -0.19/60.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying Zadorov should completely overhaul a playing style that has got him this far in his career, just that there is diminishing returns to taking that many penalties relative to intimidation, and cleaning that up a bit makes a big difference. Thankfully, he appears to be doing that on his own accord already. Then when the playoffs roll around, unleash the beast.

I am reminded of the Lucic-Neal trade where I said the trade was pretty even on the surface, but would shift heavily in the Flames' favour should Lucic play a bit smarter. Lucic has done exactly that, and his improved penalty differential has played a big part in the trade being a big win for the Flames.

Penalty numbers from Evolving-Hockey.