Nikita Zadorov explains why he chose No. 91 jersey with the Bruins

Joining an Original Six franchise stood as a no-brainer for Nikita Zadorov this offseason, with the 6-foot-6 defenseman inking a six-year deal with Boston shortly after free agency commenced on July 1. 

Boston’s reputation as a winning franchise appealed to Zadorov. But the Bruins’ century-long history filled with hockey legends did create a small conundrum — a run on jersey numbers for the Bruins’ free-agent pickup. 

Even though Zadorov has primarily worn the No. 16 jersey during his 11 seasons in the NHL, the 29-year-old blueliner had to pivot with Boston — considering that said jersey number now hangs above the TD Garden rafters in honor of Rick Middleton. 

Zadorov did face a similar fiasco last season with the Canucks, with their No. 16 jersey retired in honor of Trevor Linden. 

As such, Zadorov opted to simply flip the script when it came to choosing No. 91 for his new black-and-gold sweater.

“Why 91? “Upside down 16,” Zadorov acknowledged. “Wore 16 my whole life pretty much. … Like I said, it’s the worst part of playing on a Original Six team because a lot of numbers are retired and take a lot of history obviously. So when I got traded to Vancouver, we were thinking about the number because 16 is retired over there as well. So 91 was good.”

Zadorov is only the second player in Bruins history to don No. 91, joining playmaking center Marc Savard. Zadorov does have some connections to Savard — who was an assistant coach on the Calgary Flames last season. 

“I know Marc Savard wore it — he was my coach last year,” Zadorov said. “So I gotta text Savvy that I stole his number.” 

For Zadorov, who toured the Bruins’ team facilities in Brighton on Monday, joining a franchise and a market known for its winning pedigree felt like a natural fit — especially after the dynamic defenseman thrived during the Canucks’ playoff run in April and May. 

“I probably spoke to like 10-15 people before making a decision to sign here and I haven’t heard a bad thing about the organization, the coaching staff or the city or how people get treated here,” Zadorov said. “And I feel like it fits the mentality for me as well. Win or nothing. You know what I mean? 

“I feel like this city is so culturally engaged in their sports. Like you look at the four teams in here, they all have been winning, they’ve all [won] championships and fans expect you to win every year. I like the pressure and I think it drives me.” 

Even though Zadorov is well-aware of the expectations and pressure that comes with playing in Boston, he still admitted that he has a few things to learn when it comes to navigating the layout of the city. 

“We never really lived on the East Coast outside of Buffalo. … I mean, we walked in the park, we went to West End yesterday, right? Italian neighborhood. Sorry — the North End. I had a really good pasta. I hope I’m not gonna go there many times because it’s super heavy, but it’s super good.”