Calgary Flames: Russian Prospect A Good Fit?

The Calgary Flames are among a group of teams very closely assessing whether top Russian prospect, Nikita Zaitsev would be a good fit for their organisation.

Emily Sadler for Sportsnet reports that Zaitsev is being looked at by the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks, amongst others.

The Russian defenceman has been on fine form thus far this year in the Kontinental Hockey League, with four goals and nine assists in his 22 games thus far for CSKA Moscow.

With Elliotte Friedman stating on Sportsnet that Zaitsev’s agent has confirmed a move to North America next year, there’s likely a bidding war in the offing – the Calgary Flames will likely look to be a part of this.

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With his KHL side only averaging 2.96 goals a game, Zaitsev’s numbers reflect a strong offensive game and the potential to be a strong two-way asset with most National Hockey League teams.

However, we’ve seen past KHL prospects fail to prosper on the smaller NHL ice, so there is a certain risk factor to any move.

For the Calgary Flames, the big question has to be – where would he fit?

Right now, you’ve got the Mark Giordano, T.J. Brodie, Dennis Wideman and Dougie Hamilton to fill out the first two defensive lines.

Do you look to add Zaitsev as a third-line pairing when he appears to have the talent of a prospect for the top-four, if not top-two pairing?

Even then, it’s not clear-cut whether he fits into the side; Kris Russell, who arguably sits fifth in the Calgary Flames’ depth chart, has been blocking shots like nobody’s business and is putting in some serious shifts every game.

If the Calgary Flames are serious about pursuing Nikita, it seems like they’re going to have to dump at least one defenseman and Dennis Wideman fits the bill in terms of his cap hit.

That would probably be achievable; Wideman still holds a decent level of value, though some salary would possibly have to be retained. But if Wideman was to ship out and Nikita ship in, who becomes his partner on the blue line?

The Calgary Flames’ interest in the Russian certainly creates more questions than it answers.

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Is this a wasted pursuit? Or are the Flames doing the right thing by pursuing a strong, older prospect? Let us know in the comments section below.

All stats courtesy of eliteprospects.com.