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Artem Zub is coming off another successful and consistent season, despite suffering an unfortunate injury in Game 1 of the playoffs after his hit on Seth Jarvis in the second period. His absence was a major reason why the Senators were swept and struggled to shut down the Carolina Hurricanes’ attack.
Zub was expected to recover from his lower-body injury within a month and train normally throughout the offseason in preparation for the final year of his existing $4.6M/year contract.
Steve Staios will definitely begin contract talks with Zub this summer in an attempt to sign him to a reasonable extension, likely somewhere between $6 million and $6.5 million per season. Zub will turn 31 this year, and it is reasonable to expect that both sides could agree to a four or five-year extension. As the salary cap continues to increase over the coming years, Zub’s contract should become even more team-friendly as he ages and potentially transitions into more of a second-pairing or No. 4–6 defenceman by the end of the deal.
His experience, leadership, and ability to lead by example will be invaluable in mentoring the next wave of young defencemen expected to arrive in the near future, including Carter Yakemchuk and potentially Logan Hensler.
Zub played 81 games this season while averaging 20:48 of ice time per game. He recorded career highs with five goals, 25 assists, and 30 points, while finishing with a +22 rating. He also blocked 120 shots, significantly reducing the quality of scoring chances against Ottawa during a season in which the team’s goaltending was inconsistent at times.
Jake Sanderson and Zub posted the league’s best expected goals against per 60 minutes (xGA/60) at 1.87 among defensive pairings that played at least 900 minutes together. Their strong defensive play allowed the coaching staff to shelter Jordan Spence and the other defensive pairings by giving them more favourable matchups throughout the season. Individually, Zub’s xGA/60 of 2.20 ranked among the league’s elite shutdown defencemen.
Moving forward, it will be important for Zub to continue taking on the toughest defensive assignments while helping shelter Carter Yakemchuk and other young defencemen as they adjust to the NHL. By continuing to take the majority of the defensive-zone starts, Zub will provide a stable presence that allows Ottawa’s young defenders to develop with less pressure.
His value to the Senators’ blue line cannot be overstated, and he will continue to be relied upon heavily in the coming years. Even as he ages, he is likely to remain Ottawa’s most trusted right-shot defenceman in the defensive zone.
Looking ahead, here’s to another season of one of the NHL’s best defensive pairings in Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub—this time over an 84-game regular season.