Ottawa Senators Sign Fan Favourite Artem Zub to Two-Year Deal

All hail Zub, All hail Zub. The Senators second-pairing defenceman is back

Undoubtedly the biggest social media sensation from this Senators season, Zub became a revelation once entering the lineup with his smart, physical and skilled playing style.

It seemed like whatever situation came forth to Zub, he had an answer for it. Even in skilled situations in the offensive zone, Zub had a flair for the dramatic: his first career NHL goal versus the Toronto Maple Leafs went down in Sens-lore.

He makes it look so easy and it apparently is no surprise to his teammates, as in typical Zub fashion, the defensive defenceman is a standout in the shootout during Senators practice.

2020-21 Season By The Numbers

• In 47 games played, Zub had 3 goals and 14 points to go along with a solid +4 rating that ranked 4th among teammates.
• Zub posted 89 hits, good for 6th among Senators skaters
• Zub’s 70 hits placed him 3rd amongst the team. He played with an underrated bite to his game
• Zub carried a 48.65 CF% (13th on OTT)-25.29 xGF (7th on OTT)
• Was heavily deployed in the defensive zone – had an offensive zone start % of 39.73%, the lowest mark of any Senator defenceman

Here’s JFresh’s player card breakdown of Zub

This card shows just how defensively-minded Zub is.

Zub’s Fandom

The Ottawa Senators fan base has rallied around Zub, in large part to the way that Sens Twitter has praised the 25-year-old defenceman and made him a meme within Senators’ culture.

Zub’s mysterious persona combined with the fact that he isn’t yet fluent in English makes him the ideal character for a group of sickos to rally around, making it no surprise that Sens Twitter is currently praising Zub as the god he is.

Now Senators fans can rejoice as their favourite player/spirit animal is locked in for another two seasons.

Two more years of Zub.

All metrics via Natural Stat Trick