Zykov Shows Flashes

TAMPA - Somebody in the Vegas Golden Knights organization liked Valentin Zykov and made a compelling case for not only claiming the player off waivers but also working to help him succeed. Saturday night we saw why.
Zykov finished the night pointless skating on a line with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault which wasn't ideal, but the trio made plays and created scoring chances. And Zykov showed a number of qualities which suggest he could grow into a successful NHL player. He has vision, offensive instincts and the hands to execute. He hits the tape on passes and perhaps his best asset is his shot.
Zykov has earned a longer look. The exercise in getting him to this point hasn't been short. But it's shown an understanding of player development from George McPhee and his staff.
Zykov has played just 21 games this season and had two major breaks between games, one of a month and another of two weeks.

Jamming Zykov into the lineup immediately upon acquiring him and expecting success would have been a fool's errand. First of all, he wasn't in shape. Secondly, he wasn't familiar with his teammates and the style the Golden Knights play. Perhaps most importantly, he was on his third team in one season battling barriers in both language and culture.
Vegas took a global approach to Zykov. They got him comfortable and conditioned before putting him in the lineup.
It takes time for a player to adjust to his surroundings. It took Erik Karlsson almost 20 games to figure things out in San Jose putting up six points in his first 18 games with the Sharks. That's a superstar who was traded in a massive deal with several parts going the other way.
Zykov was waived by two teams this season which can't be good for a player's confidence. Keeping him in house and helping him with his assimilation process prior to evaluating him on the ice wasn't just humane - it was smart. There's no use trying to judge a player when he's incapable of being at his best.
On Saturday, Zykov played with skilled players in a top six role and began to show results with four shot attempts, three on net which were considered scoring chances and two from high danger areas.
Vegas has lost six of its last eight games with the team being outscored 27-20 in that stretch and Marchessault and Karlsson combing for just six points.
They looked to be coming alive with Zykov on Saturday night and bested the opposition 15-13 in shot attempts and 11-7 in shots on goal.
Zykov is just 23 and Vegas is light in players within that age group. He could also prove to be a welcome face to VGK prospect Nikita Gusev, who is currently shredding the KHL with 14 goals and 57 assists through 55 games with St. Petersburg SKA.
Vegas needs to win games now which might make it difficult for Zykov to stay in the lineup. He's waiver eligible and sending him to the AHL could result in losing him to a claim.
Roster limitations end on February 25 after the trade deadline. The 23-man roster will get crowded once regulars Nick Holden and Will Carrier are cleared to return.
McPhee has proven adept at asset management. Keeping Zykov around for a longer look may require some roster gymnastics but the player has shown he's worth it.