Adam B. D.Zherdev is low risk, high reward for Flyers
July 16th 2010 21:37
The Philadelphia Flyers recently inked Nikolai Zherdev to a 1 year, $2 Million deal. Here in Philly, it was met with little excitement, as Zherdev has a reputation of being soft, a defensive liabilty and a bad teammate in the locker room. As an avid Flyers fan and a season ticket holder, I had the same reservations, however; take into consideration the low cap hit and the high amount of potential this guy will bring to an already talented team.
In 365 NHL games, Zherdev has 99 goals and 140 assists, however, he is a -46 in his NHL career. Another positive aspect is that he has been able to stay healthy during his time in the NHL, which has been a problem for the rest of the players on the Flyers.
His talent has not really been brought into question, but rather his character, and Philly fans have no tolerance for players who appear to take games or even shifts off. We expect 100% effort night in and night out and this has been a problem for this Russian sniper, so the question is, will he succeed in a hockey hotbed like Philly?
While I don't have an answer, I will say that there are signs that he will have a good year with the Flyers. First of all, he is playing with a one year contract, which will serve as a season long audition for him to get his big payday. Secondly, he will have the opportunity to play with some talented players like Richards, Briere, and Giroux. According to Zherdev, he understands that he needs to be more of a 2 way player and he had worked on this part of his game over the past year.
Here in Philly, talk is cheap. Flyers fans will expect results, especially the year after a trip to the finals and with Zherdev likely replacing fan favorite, but oft injured, Simon Gagne. The pressure will be on, but the risk is low with only 2 million against the cap and the reward can be very high if he lives up to the expectations.
My prediction for Zherdev: 25 goals and 40 assists, plus 5 on the year.
In 365 NHL games, Zherdev has 99 goals and 140 assists, however, he is a -46 in his NHL career. Another positive aspect is that he has been able to stay healthy during his time in the NHL, which has been a problem for the rest of the players on the Flyers.
His talent has not really been brought into question, but rather his character, and Philly fans have no tolerance for players who appear to take games or even shifts off. We expect 100% effort night in and night out and this has been a problem for this Russian sniper, so the question is, will he succeed in a hockey hotbed like Philly?
While I don't have an answer, I will say that there are signs that he will have a good year with the Flyers. First of all, he is playing with a one year contract, which will serve as a season long audition for him to get his big payday. Secondly, he will have the opportunity to play with some talented players like Richards, Briere, and Giroux. According to Zherdev, he understands that he needs to be more of a 2 way player and he had worked on this part of his game over the past year.
Here in Philly, talk is cheap. Flyers fans will expect results, especially the year after a trip to the finals and with Zherdev likely replacing fan favorite, but oft injured, Simon Gagne. The pressure will be on, but the risk is low with only 2 million against the cap and the reward can be very high if he lives up to the expectations.
My prediction for Zherdev: 25 goals and 40 assists, plus 5 on the year.
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