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Ice Lab

Defence · #22

Nikita Zaitsev

Toronto Maple Leafs Ottawa Senators Chicago Blackhawks(traded during the season)
Age
34
Shoots
Right
Height
188 cm
Weight
87 kg
Born
Moscow, RUS
Draft
Undrafted

Career · 2016–17 to 2023–24

Games
482
Goals
22
Points
118
TOI per game
20:29
xGF% (5v5)
47.2%
Goals above expected
−0.2
ShowAll teamsToronto Maple LeafsOttawa SenatorsChicago Blackhawks

Season by season

The regular-season line for each season, with the total, by team for traded players.

2016–17TOR8243236−2222:011063.8%126.248.8%
2017–18TOR605813+822:13549.3%02.448.8%
2018–19TOR8131114+220:28714.2%02.949.9%
2019–20OTT5811112−822:09641.6%03.445.9%
2020–21OTT5541317−1322:44705.7%03.047.6%
2021–22OTT622911−718:59653.1%02.747.0%
2022–23OTT28055−517:14100.0%00.347.2%
2022–23CHI18123−415:171010.0%00.231.6%
2022–23All teams46178−916:28205.0%00.541.4%
2023–24CHI38257−515:56316.5%21.139.8%
Total3 teams4822296118−5420:294814.6%1422.247.2%

Form

Rolling averages smooth out single games so the trend shows.

Form, ten-game rolling

Points and individual expected goals per game (left scale), averaged over the previous ten games. Ice time is on the second chart.

Points per gameixG per gameTOI per game (minutes)
00.20.40.60.8100200300400
12m14m16m18m20m22m24m26m100200300400Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2016–17 to 2023–24 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

3rd pair

21st percentile among qualified defencemen, blending scoring 30%, play-driving 50%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st pair
  2. 2nd pair
  3. 3rd pair
  4. Extra / AHL

Scoring

Extra / AHL
  • Goals /600.1333rd pct
  • Assists /600.5841st pct
  • ixG /600.1421st pct
  • Shots /602.9212th pct

Play-driving

Extra / AHL
  • xGF% (5v5)47.2%30th pct
  • CF% (5v5)46.9%22nd pct
  • Relative xGF%−2.723rd pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.7216th pct

Usage

1st pair
  • TOI per game20:2980th pct
  • PP time share10.3%54th pct
  • PK time share48.9%90th pct
  • Quality of competition24.8%88th pct

Percentiles among defencemen with 200+ minutes at 5-on-5 and 20+ games. Ratings rank each column's average percentile among the same players and read it as a role on a depth chart (how).

Most similar players this season

  1. Mario FerraroSJS0.94
  2. Andrew PeekeCBJ0.91
  3. Danny DeKeyserDET0.91
  4. Jake McCabeBUF/CHI/TOR0.90
  5. Derek ForbortLAK/WPG/BOS0.90
  6. Patrik NemethDAL/COL/DET/NYR/ARI0.89

Finishing

Model-based

Did the goals match the chances?

Goals against expected goals

Cumulative goals (solid) and individual xG (dashed) through the season. The gap is finishing: above the dashed line, the player scored more than an average shooter would from the same chances.

−0.2 goals above expected

05101520100200300400Game

Goals above expected, everyone at the same position with 20+ games

−20−100+10+20+30

Speed and tracking

From the NHL's EDGE tracking system (2021–22 on): skating speed, shot speed, distance and zone time, for the selected seasons and then every tracked season, to show improvement or decline.

Tracking data (NHL EDGE)

Values from the NHL's puck and player tracking, with the NHL's own league percentile for each. Missing values mean the player wasn't tracked enough.

Tracking

  • Top skating speed33.9 km/h23rd pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph725th pct
  • Hardest shot134.9 km/h16th pct
  • Distance skated139 km34th pct
  • Offensive-zone time39.3%20th pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other defencemen that season with 20+ games. A season in progress appears once half its games are played, as provisional: season bests only grow. Bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of ice time, so seasons with fewer games still compare. Percentiles are on these rates, so they can differ from the NHL's, which are on season totals.

This playerMedian defencemanMiddle half (25th–75th percentile)Hollow dot: too few games to rank, or a season in progress (*, dashed). Dotted line: no NHL games that season.

Top skating speed

33.9 km/h12th pct

▲ +0.1 km/h since 2022–23

333435363721–2222–2323–242021–22: 34.4 km/h, 26th percentile (62 games)2022–23: 33.8 km/h, 11th percentile (46 games)2023–24: 33.9 km/h, 12th percentile (38 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

0.715th pct

▲ +0.2 since 2022–23

012321–2222–2323–242021–22: 0.5, 11th percentile (62 games)2022–23: 0.5, 8th percentile (46 games)2023–24: 0.7, 15th percentile (38 games)

Distance skated per 60

13.8 km62nd pct

▼ −0.0 km since 2022–23

1313.213.413.613.81414.221–2222–2323–242021–22: 13.6 km, 50th percentile (62 games)2022–23: 13.8 km, 67th percentile (46 games)2023–24: 13.8 km, 62nd percentile (38 games)

Hardest shot

134.9 km/h5th pct

▲ +0.5 km/h since 2022–23

13014015016021–2222–2323–242021–22: 143.5 km/h, 16th percentile (62 games)2022–23: 134.4 km/h, 2nd percentile (46 games)2023–24: 134.9 km/h, 5th percentile (38 games)

Offensive-zone time

39.3%21st pct

▲ +2.8 points since 2022–23

34%36%38%40%42%44%46%21–2222–2323–242021–22: 38.4%, 6th percentile (62 games)2022–23: 36.5%, 2nd percentile (46 games)2023–24: 39.3%, 21st percentile (38 games)