Player Discussion Artem Zub (D) Part 2 [Extended 4 years @ $4.6M]

[Xspyrit]

The whole situation was a gong show to begin last year and our team was bound to handle it worse than others. Let's be thankful we were as bad as we were (yet saw many positives, Zub being one) and ended up with a high(ish) pick. Nothing worse than picking + - 20th after a write off season.

If you're picking 20th, it's not a write off season at all, it means you made the playoffs and had a ~100 pts season. You're least getting closer to contender status

I think it's a little off base calling all our guys bottom pair guys but I would have liked to see him signed longer

I would say on an "average" NHL team

Thomas Chabot #1
Artyom Zub #3-4
Nikita Zaitsev #4-5
Mike Reilly #5-6 (started the season as a fringe NHLer)
Erik Brannstrom #5-6
Victor Mete #6 (got waived)
Erik Gudbranson #6
Braydon Coburn #6-7
Josh Brown #7

Ideally, you'd have :

Chabot - ??????
Brannstrom - Zub
Mete - Zaitsev

But we have Sanderson coming so Brannstrom won't be needed. He should be developped this year to "certify" his trade value. He's not a 19 y/o prospect anymore

 

[SensFactor]

Sens still need a top 4 dman. I don't think Chabot - Zub pairing is going to work long term especially if we have a big drop off in talent after that.

 

[Masked]

I would say on an "average" NHL team

Thomas Chabot #1
Artyom Zub #3-4
Nikita Zaitsev #4-5
Mike Reilly #5-6 (started the season as a fringe NHLer)

Reilly was a #3 on an above average Boston team in the playoffs.

Assen na yo!

 

[Xspyrit]

Reilly was a #3 on an above average Boston team in the playoffs.

Assen na yo!

He really "started from the bottom, now he's here". He was like #7-8 in Montreal so they were pretty happy to trade him for a pick. He came to Ottawa and had a bigger role right away due to the team status and the lack of defense.

In 2020-21, he really struggled at the start of the season. There was this game against Vancouver IIRC where he was directly responsible for 3 goals against. It was probably the worst game I ever seen from a NHL skater. I legit thought he would be waived the day after (like it happened to Condon). But he got a chance to work his way up again and managed to do it, which gave him the opportunity to strike a 3 x 3 contract.

The Bruins is a good veteran team with a great forward group and one of the best D-men but they're really lacking depth on defense, especially on the left. Good for Reilly if he has been able to hold on. The take on him when he was in Montreal is how he could look good one night, and then not NHL material the following game. So good thing if he finally found a bit of consistency

 

[BondraTime]

Reilly was a #3 on an above average Boston team in the playoffs.

Assen na yo!

Any team playing Rielly as a #3 is in loads, and loads of trouble. Especially when the guys behind him are Clifton, Grezelcyk, and Lauzon

Playing him at all you'e in trouble

 

[Crookshank]

If ya can't see Zub is a very good player and this contract was a very poor outcome for Ottawa then I think that's on the poster. The team has had no depth on d since the early 2000's. Had a ton of cap space that could have got him signed long term but chose to cheap out. I think Zub knew exactly what he was doing. He saw that other than Chabot the rest of the D core are bottom pairing. So he took less money knowing he has no internal competition for Ice and is going to get walked right into a massive pay day.

Defensive D-men never command huge pay days and there is nothing wrong with paying Zub what he is worth after we see what he can do consistently over 2 seasons. If he proves to be a reliable top 4 defender and commands a Joel Edmunson / David Savard type contract he will be turning 28 years old and be asking for a 4 year x $3.5. With inflation say 4x4.

If in 2 years we end up finding 3 top 4 defensmen out of: Sanderson, Brann, Mete, Kleven, Lassi, JBD, Roger, Guenette then you have options with ZUB

 

[BondraTime]

Defensive D-men never command huge pay days and there is nothing wrong with paying Zub what he is worth after we see what he can do consistently over 2 seasons. If he proves to be a reliable top 4 defender and commands a Joel Edmunson / David Savard type contract he will be turning 28 years old and be asking for a 4 year x $3.5. With inflation say 4x4.

If in 2 years we end up finding 3 top 4 defensmen out of: Sanderson, Brann, Mete, Kleven, Lassi, JBD, Roger, Guenette then you have options with ZUB

Zub has options as well, as a UFA

 

[God Says No]

I'm hoping the Chabot - Zub pairing clicks. They've been looking for a partner for Chabot since Demelo was let go. Also the doubly good part would be to limit Zaitsev's minutes, so it would have a cascading positive effect for the whole D corps. Now if MDZ can be knocked down a pair it would be perfect.

 

[Masked]

Any team playing Rielly as a #3 is in loads, and loads of trouble. Especially when the guys behind him are Clifton, Grezelcyk, and Lauzon

Playing him at all you'e in trouble

And despite this many have Boston as a lock for the playoffs.

Assen na yo!

 

[Joeyjoejoe]

Give the C to Zub.

 

[Crookshank]

Zub has options as well, as a UFA

Yes, UFA means unrestricted... thanks.

 

[BondraTime]

Yes, UFA means unrestricted... thanks.

Yes, would assume you know what the U stands for...

 

[Ice-Tray]

I think in Zub's case what I've seen written is

No camp to speak of
No exhibition games
No ability to converse with him

Apart from the goal, Zub's strength isn't that he's spectacular or makes spectacular plays, it's that he makes simple plays consistently and doesn't mess up.

Without a lot of knowing of his game it's not hard to see how he wouldn't stand out in last season's abbreviated preparation

Smith called it a mistake on himself. He was there. He was on the ice for those prep sessions. He didn't see it without game conditions. Kinda says it wasn't easy to see

It is what it is. A shifty set of circumstances to start last year.

Its refreshing to hear DJ’s take on things last season, said very similar themed things about benching White.

It’s no wonder why the players love the guy, he takes all the heat off of the players that he can and delivers compliments, even if it involves questioning his own coaching choices in public.

It’s a good sign that he is growing into the role and making changes to the way he operates. We may have finally picked a long term coaching option here.

 

[bert]

And despite this many have Boston as a lock for the playoffs.

Assen na yo!

I dont think that has anything to do with Mike Reilly.

 

[SlapJack]

Zub has options as well, as a UFA

One of them being Ottawa

 

[BondraTime]

One of them being Ottawa

And the others being 30 different teams, which 2 years afforded him he otherwise doesn’t have now.

 

[DylanSensFan]

If you're picking 20th, it's not a write off season at all, it means you made the playoffs and had a ~100 pts season. You're least getting closer to contender status



I would say on an "average" NHL team

Thomas Chabot #1
Artyom Zub #3-4
Nikita Zaitsev #4-5
Mike Reilly #5-6 (started the season as a fringe NHLer)
Erik Brannstrom #5-6
Victor Mete #6 (got waived)
Erik Gudbranson #6
Braydon Coburn #6-7
Josh Brown #7

Ideally, you'd have :

Chabot - ??????
Brannstrom - Zub
Mete - Zaitsev

But we have Sanderson coming so Brannstrom won't be needed. He should be developped this year to "certify" his trade value. He's not a 19 y/o prospect anymore

I think Zub is a lot better than you give him credit for. He's definitely 100% a top 4 defender in this league and I bet that will bear out in his play this season. I think Brannstrom has a ways to come, but is also a top 4 defender. Sanderson will be a welcome addition, but I feel like we already have the makings of a solid top 4, sans a definitive 1-2 defensive pairing. I think Zub will fill in nicely this season, in preparation for Sanderson.

 

[Boud]

I think Zub is a lot better than you give him credit for. He's definitely 100% a top 4 defender in this league and I bet that will bear out in his play this season. I think Brannstrom has a ways to come, but is also a top 4 defender. Sanderson will be a welcome addition, but I feel like we already have the makings of a solid top 4, sans a definitive 1-2 defensive pairing. I think Zub will fill in nicely this season, in preparation for Sanderson.

I mean he put Zub as a #3-4 which to me is a pretty realistic outcome. Brannstrom is definitely not a top 4 D at the moment. Mete has been better than him in nearly every way and he's a waiver fodder. I get that he has potential and he could be that, but not at this time.

Next year I would expect somethiing like

Chabot - Zub
Sanderson - JBD
Brann/Mete - Zaitsev

Maybe if they decide to put Brannstrom on the right he could be a fit with Sanderson who knows.

 

[Xspyrit]

@Boud I would be very surprised to see Brannstrom on RD. They seem very intent on NOT having him on that side. They also seem quite confident/stubborn to not come back on that decision.

I think Zub is a lot better than you give him credit for. He's definitely 100% a top 4 defender in this league and I bet that will bear out in his play this season. I think Brannstrom has a ways to come, but is also a top 4 defender. Sanderson will be a welcome addition, but I feel like we already have the makings of a solid top 4, sans a definitive 1-2 defensive pairing. I think Zub will fill in nicely this season, in preparation for Sanderson.

Sometimes I'm really wondering if I'm speaking chinese

Like Boud said, I put him #3-4 which is pretty damn good and totally means "top 4 defender". Maybe he proves he's a #2-3 this year, we'll see

By the way, I was high on Zub before he played a game for Ottawa and even had posts where I saw him as possible top-4 for the Sens

Note that I was talking about their level LAST SEASON so for example Brannstrom wasn't a top-4 yet

 

[DylanSensFan]

@Boud I would be very surprised to see Brannstrom on RD. They seem very intent on NOT having him on that side. They also seem quite confident/stubborn to not come back on that decision.



Sometimes I'm really wondering if I'm speaking chinese

Like Boud said, I put him #3-4 which is pretty damn good and totally means "top 4 defender". Maybe he proves he's a #2-3 this year, we'll see

By the way, I was high on Zub before he played a game for Ottawa and even had posts where I saw him as possible top-4 for the Sens

Note that I was talking about their level LAST SEASON so for example Brannstrom wasn't a top-4 yet

I know you put him at 3-4. I think he's a 2-3. I'm just debating for debate sake.

 

[Wallet Inspector]

If Zub puts up another great season, Dorion has to make it a priority to extend him.

 

[SENStastic]

Many people said it a year ago and it holds true even more so now- we should've found a way to sign him for much longer than 2 years. So hard to get a legitimate top 4 RD, giving him an extra mil and adding a couple more years to that contract would've been so much better. He's going to cost us way more than that when we try to extend him next season. Such a pity, could've been on a very team friendly contract for a while for what he brings, he's just entering his prime now.

 

[Xspyrit]

If he continues to build on his last season, he will be looking at a 5-6 years deal and certainly a team will be ready to give him that. Unfortunately, if nothing has changed by then, chances are low that Ottawa will be that team. Most teams have the financial backbone and are ready to take risks and "throw away money" if players become overpaid due to aging/injuries. They'll just buy them out or make deals with a team like Arizona when needed (see Vancouver). Ottawa's owner is even less ready to do that than before. Signing Zub long term will be seen as way too risky for a market like Ottawa

I'm not saying a more positive outcome isn't possible, maybe he'll "really like it here" and sign for a reasonable amount for 3-4 years but at the same time, most players understandably think about their own situation like a business would. Like Tkachuk is right now.

 

[aragorn]

I mean he put Zub as a #3-4 which to me is a pretty realistic outcome. Brannstrom is definitely not a top 4 D at the moment. Mete has been better than him in nearly every way and he's a waiver fodder. I get that he has potential and he could be that, but not at this time.

Next year I would expect somethiing like

Chabot - Zub
Sanderson - JBD
Brann/Mete - Zaitsev

Maybe if they decide to put Brannstrom on the right he could be a fit with Sanderson who knows.

I like & agree on your top 4, although if the Sens are able to acquire a top 4 RD in the first rd of the next draft at some point that should push Zub down a pairing or two. I also prefer bigger & tougher defencemen who are mobile on that 3rd pairing & think Kleven LD will eventually be the long term solution in that position. I also see Roger as a possible option down the road (3 to 5 yrs) on a 3rd pairing RD.

Chabot - Jiricek (2022 draft)
Sanderson - JBD
Kleven - Zub/Roger

 

[JD1]

If he continues to build on his last season, he will be looking at a 5-6 years deal and certainly a team will be ready to give him that. Unfortunately, if nothing has changed by then, chances are low that Ottawa will be that team. Most teams have the financial backbone and are ready to take risks and "throw away money" if players become overpaid due to aging/injuries. They'll just buy them out or make deals with a team like Arizona when needed (see Vancouver). Ottawa's owner is even less ready to do that than before. Signing Zub long term will be seen as way too risky for a market like Ottawa

I'm not saying a more positive outcome isn't possible, maybe he'll "really like it here" and sign for a reasonable amount for 3-4 years but at the same time, most players understandably think about their own situation like a business would. Like Tkachuk is right now.

I like Zub. I thought prior to last season the board wasn't throwing any love his way and he turned into a real find.

But you need to be careful about who you sign and for how long. We've got Zaitsev signed for 3 more years. We've got Chabot signed and Sanderson coming. We've got JBD and Thomson as righties that are knocking on the door and they'll either be ready within Zub's 2 year deal or deemed to be busts.

I obviously don't have any inside info but was Zub looking for 4 or 5 years? And what do you say to that if you're confident with your right side prospects?

We've got Zub signed for two years at very reasonable money. I'm good with that