Insider reveals an Eastern Conference team has allowed a defender to seek his own trade, but no one wants him
The Ottawa Senators have been bold enough to claim their rebuild is over and maybe it is, but their record still says Draft Lottery. The Senators are last in the Atlantic Division, with a 5-9-1 record in 15 games.
This season hasn't been kind to defenseman Nikita Zaitsev either, as the Ottawa Senators placed him on Waivers on November 9th, 2022.
Zaitsev's current contract ends in 2023-2024 and comes with a cap hit of $4.5 Million AAV.
It stands to reason why Pierre Dorion would allow a struggling defenseman like Zaitsev to try and seek a deal elsewhere with another club, however, the truth of the matter is that those options aren't there either:
Elliotte Friedman stated that there's zero interest in the defenseman, as his trade value isn't there. Even after Zaitsev's agent was granted permission to speak to teams himself.
It's obvious Zaitsev is disgruntled with the fans and his situation in Ottawa as he has been seen responding to fans and critics, on Instagram as well.
The truth of the matter is, it looks like Zaitsev and his modified no trade clause, have most likely harmed his chances of being moved, along with his recent outbursts towards Senator fans have put a dent in the defenseman's reputation.
With up-and-coming talent in the pipeline(Jake Sanderson, Artem Zub, and Jacob Bernard-Docker), you have to wonder if his next step is heading back home to Russia to finish his career.
| POLL | ||
Will Nikita Zaitsev be traded? | ||
| Yes, someone will give him a chance | 36 | 50 % |
| No, he's not going anywhere | 36 | 50 % |
| List of polls | ||
