Edited Apr. 25, 2021 at 10:17 p.m.
Quoting: ChiHawk
Not just "my source" but millions...it's widely recognized as the top or top 2 sources for hockey for a good reason.
Zadarov is simply not good. There is a reason he was often in the press box in Colorado and it shows when he's on the ice. For every decent, or less often good, game he has, he has 2 bad games or more. Zadarov is terrible with the puck, can barely connect on a pass. He's also not very fast. He's good in the corners or in front of the net because of his size. Stillman has shown in his short stint he's a better passer, faster, just as physical, and isn't turning the puck over in his own end nearly as much as Z. I honestly don't' know what you're seeing with Z other then he has had a half dozen good games and about a dozen decent games but 18 games or so out of 47 is a bad average. Again, one of the best GMs in hockey wanted him out for good reason, he's simply just a big body that will hit and pin people to the boards but every other part of his game is not NHL quality which is IMO why they signed Stillman...Z's days are numbered. Stillman has shown so far and he's playing man and half which is why he was behind the net; Keith is there all the time as well.
To me its not that I think Z is soo good. Its that I think he currently provides something that no one else including Stillman can provide...so he has a place.
But I do agreed with some of what you say. Zadorov is likely the single slowest man in the NHL. Ok, I get it, but he has a role. I'm not suggesting he should even be a middle pair guy. I think he should be a bottom pair enforcer. Thats it. I'm not convinced Stillman is an NHLer yet and right now he hasn't played well enough to get 1 more NHL game imo. I know its only been 6 games (with the Hawks), but its ok to allow him a training camp to gel with a new team. He hasn't earned his spot. He's been gifted an NHL spot over Mitchell/Beaudin/Kalynuk. I'm not a fan of gifting roster spots, especially when others have been fighting for time and doing well in Rockford. Hard to say to those three that Stillman's "earned" his ice time. He hasn't earned anything. Is he faster than Z...yeah just about everyone is. Is he more physical, no. Is he a better passer...TBD. does he get lost in his coverage responsibilities...yes.
Also, Sakic one of the best GMs.... he's been provided ALOT of advantages over other GMs. IE his owner allowed him full control AND he's earned all his top 10 picks by having really bad teams. Yes, he's done a good job with player development. I HAVE to give him that credit, but now is the hard part. Its not hard to have a losing team for years.