Could this Avalanche prospect be the team's secret weapon come opening night?
Photo credit: Mile High Hockey
Training camp for the Colorado Avalanche is at its halfway point and so far, forward prospect Zakhar Bardakov is proving to everyone he belongs.
He seems to be the main candidate for the team's 4th line center, which is where he has been slotted the whole training camp, a position known to be a weak point entering this season.
Zakhar Bardakov might answer prayers for the Colorado Avalanche and their 4th line this NHL season.
Evan Rawal of the Denver Gazette highlighted Bardakov's strong performance so far in training camp, noting that he could emerge as a darkhorse this season.
Head coach Jared Bednar had nothing but praise for the young forward.
"He's a competitor, he's a worker, he's heavy, he goes to the net hard. I see him as that prototypical fourth-line center that's big and heavy. If he's going to keep that role, there's one specific thing the Avalanche will ask of him. If you're playing '4C' for us, you've got to kill penalties, right?" -Bednar
Fortunately for Bardakov, that's right in his wheelhouse. During his time in the KHL, he averaged over two minutes per game on the penalty kill and can easily step into the role of a hard-hitting, penalty-killing center that the Avalanche need.
Despite understanding very little English, Bardakov doesn't seem to miss a beat when playing alongside his teammates, says forward Parker Kelly.
"For someone who can't fully understand what his coaches are saying, he's not falling behind. He's picking it up pretty fast. He's definitely ahead of the curve.» -Kelly
On paper, the Colorado Avalanche already have an almost perfect roster, with their only noticeable gap being depth in the bottom six. If Bardakov can replicate his strong camp performance in the regular season, that issue could all but vanish.
Source:
Denver Gazette
Universal language of hockey is all Zakhar Bardakov needs to make Avalanche roster
Denver Gazette
Universal language of hockey is all Zakhar Bardakov needs to make Avalanche roster
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 2 | 30 ANSWERS Could this Avalanche prospect be the team's secret weapon come opening night? Will Zakhar Bardakov score more than 25 points this NHL season with the Colorado Avalanche? | ||
| yes | 21 | 70 % |
| no | 9 | 30 % |
| List of polls | ||
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