Bruins
“I’m here for six years, and I will put my heart into being a Bruin and trying to win the Stanley Cup here.”
Nikita Zadorov has now donned six different sweaters since first joining the NHL ranks in 2013. For four of those stops, he arrived via trade.
This summer marked one of the few times in his career where Zadorov had full autonomy over where he would continue his career, with his value soaring after orchestrating a bombastic playoff run with the Vancouver Canucks in April and May.
A return to Vancouver stood as an appealing option for Zadorov, given how quickly he settled into his new surroundings following a late November trade from Calgary.
But when Boston came calling, Zadorov couldn’t resist. A hefty pay raise was in the cards for Zadorov regardless of which team he put pen to paper for in free agency.
The Bruins, however, offered more than just a six-year, $30 million contract. Speaking to reporters on Monday, the bruising defenseman stressed that Boston offered him the best chance to achieve his primary goal at this stage of his career: to win.
“The past three years have been just trying to find the right fit for me to win a championship,” Zadorov acknowledged. “So that’s the main thing. The main focus of why I did sign. Because I want to get the best chance to win a championship.
“I really invest in what I do. I’m really putting all my heart in what I do. I’m here for six years, and I will put my heart into being a Bruin and trying to win the Stanley Cup here.”
It won’t take very long for the 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenseman to ingratiate himself to Bruins fans, given his propensity to incite chaos every time he hops over the boards.
An appealing top-pairing partner to slot in next to Charlie McAvoy, Zadorov should inject some much-needed snarl into the Bruins’ DNA, a necessity for any team looking to supplant other Eastern Conference contenders like the Panthers and Rangers moving forward.
Zadorov’s bread and butter might be centered around his momentum-shifting checks and willingness to drop the gloves. But Boston didn’t tab Zadorov as a top free-agent target just because of his willingness to smack opposing skaters into next week.
Even though Zadorov’s aggressiveness and physicality has allowed him to craft a reputation as arguably the most imposing skater in the NHL today, it has come at a cost — especially early in his career.
Penalties have long been an issue for Zadorov, but it was his ill-advised decision making in the D-zone early in his career that usually relegated him to more of a third-pairing role. But over time, he’s learned to adhere more to his team’s defensive structure, rather than try to line up a player for a heavy hit.
Knowing when to pick his spots for delivering some on-ice punishment has allowed the rest of Zadorov’s game to flourish — with his mobility and underrated transition skills making him far more than just a bull in a china shop on the frozen sheet.
“Consistency — I think it’s the most important thing for a D-man,” Zadorov said of what allowed him to take another step forward during his stint with the Canucks last season. “I think it took me some time to figure some stuff out on the ice when you don’t want to be a high-risk player. You want to be more consistent in how you prepare yourself for a game.
There’s a lot of things for a D-men, especially my size. I’m pretty noticeable on the ice when I’m playing bad, and I’m pretty noticeable when I’m playing good. So I’m trying to find this sweet spot in the middle.
“Joe Sakic was my GM a few years back and he told me, [Nicklas] Lidstrom said that out of 10 games, you have eight A-games and then you have two B-games? Then you’re going to be a really good defenseman in this league, so you have to focus on that. So for me, it took me some time to adjust myself how to prepare myself for the game, how I mentally prepare, physically, practices and everything.”
The 29-year-old defenseman might still have more room to grow, but his punishing approach while patrolling the blue line made him a natural fit for a contending team like Boston.
“Sometimes when I was young, I was going for the hits when I didn’t need to,” Zadorov explained. “Sometimes it’s better to have your good stick or prevent the passes going through and all that. So, it’s definitely a learning point for me.
“You want to be physical. I think it frustrates the other team, it gets your team going, and it’s important for close plays because I can use it, I got size. And it elevates my game when I’m sharp and physical and on top of my game, for sure.”
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