Ottawa head coach DJ Smith appears to be very high on defenseman Nikita Zaitzev. In a new interview in the Ottawa Sun, Smith said Zaitzev "was a lot better than people thought [in Toronto], and people are going to learn to like him here.”
Smith worked directly with Zaitzev during his time as an assistant coach with the Maple Leafs. Zaitzev took a lot of criticism while playing for the Leafs, especially for his defensive play, but Smith believes he's a perfect fit to play with budding star blueliner Thomas Chabot.
"[Zaitsev's] style of breaking up plays in the (defensive) zone is going to allow Chabot to jump into more rushes. [Zaitsev's] going to break up some plays at the net, and that's going to allow Chabot … to create some offence for us.”
As for Zaitzev himself, he seems very happy about pairing with Chabot.
[Chabot's] a great player, he's a very talented guy and he moves the puck really well. I'm just trying to help him with more [defensive] things in the zone, and that's going to let him do his own things easily,” said Zaitsev.
Zaitzev was dealt to Ottawa in June in a trade that saw Cody Ceci move to Toronto. According to Smith, he'll be suiting up for all four of Ottawa's final preseason games to get ready for the regular season and to create more chemistry with Chabot.
Source: Ottawa Sun
