NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Maple Leafs defenceman Nikita Zaitsev may be on the verge of signing a long-term extension with the club.



TSN’s Bob McKenzie reported Thursday that the agreement might be as many as seven years.



“We are not close but we are working toward a long-term deal,” Zaitsev’s agent, Dan Milstein, told The Athletic.



The 25-year-old Zaitsev has four goals and 30 assists in 76 games this season. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the deal could be worth an average of $4.5-million per season.



Zaitsev is averaging over 22 minutes a night and has split his time alongside defencemen Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. The workload is large, given it is his first season in the NHL.



“Any time you can find a guy in the summer that plays in your top pair, you’ve done something special,” Babcock said of Zaitsev last month.



Zaitsev spent his entire professional career in the...