Report: Former 1st round pick finally signs a new deal

Following a report last night from BSNDenver.com reporter Adrian Dater that the Colorado Avalanche are close to a deal with restricted free-agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov, Avalanche blog Eurolanche.com is reporting that the team has in fact come to terms with the big Russian.

Officially the deal has not yet been announced by the player or the team, so terms and financial details are not yet known, but Dater speculates that the agreement will carry a cap hit in the “low 2s”.

The 22-year-old Zadorov was acquired by the Avs from the Buffalo Sabres as part of a package in return for forward Ryan O’Reilly. The 6’5”, 220 lb Zadorov has considerable upside given his size and skating ability, but has yet to put it all together and establish himself as a dependable NHL defender. In 56 games with the Avs last season he went goalless and added 10 assists, while sporting a -20 plus/minus rating.

Details of Zadorov's new deal to come.