Artem Zub Hits 400 Games, With A Big Payday Potentially On The Horizon

Artem Zub will play his 400th NHL game Thursday night when the Senators host the Colorado Avalanche at Canadian Tire Centre. Every one of those games has been played in a Senators uniform.

For a player who arrived in North America without ever being drafted into the NHL, it's an impressive achievement, and one of the better personnel decisions made during Pierre Dorion's tenure as GM.

Zub was already 24 years old when the Senators signed him as an unrestricted free agent out of the KHL in May 2020. He had established himself as a solid defender with SKA St. Petersburg, but there was no guarantee his game would translate to the higher level of competition in the NHL.

Not only did Zub have to adjust to a better league, a new team, and a new country where he barely spoke the language, his first NHL season was also the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign.

That's a lot of adjusting. But 399 games later, it's safe to say he pulled it off.

Dorion and the Sens' scouting staff deserve credit for identifying that Zub could make this jump and convincing him to choose the Senators over other NHL opportunities. The former GM's fingerprints still remain all over the core of this club. Zub, Sanderson, Stutzle, Pinto, Batherson, Giroux, Halliday, Greig, Kleven, and Matinpalo all became Senators on Dorion's watch.

Now in his seventh season with Ottawa, Zub has become a mainstay. But he's also a UFA next summer, so GM Steve Staios has another important contract decision on his hands.

Zub has never been flashy, but he quietly put up 30 points last season, showing there's more to his game than just shutting guys down. He's also a valuable right-shot D and an ideal D partner for Sanderson.

So Zub will be looking for a major pay bump on his current $4.6 million salary. A deal approaching $7 million isn't out of the question, particularly if he reaches the open market.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Thursday's milestone, Zub reflected on his time so far in Ottawa and the NHL.

"Yeah, you know, just a big pleasure to play here," Zub said. "Just happy to play in this league. You know, it's awesome."

Asked about the importance of being a good teammate, Zub chose to highlight the closeness of the room.

"I like our group. I think we're really tight," he said. "It's really important to support each other, off ice and on ice."

400 games after arriving in Ottawa, Zub has made the most of his opportunity and then some. Sens fans now hope his next headline is a new contract.

By Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa