“Coolest Six Months of my Career”: Why Nikita Zadorov Left Vancouver and Thrived in Boston

Discover why Nikita Zadorov left Vancouver, how he’s thriving in Boston’s top defensive pair, and the factors shaping his success (Photo by Rich Gagnon/Getty Images)

Defenseman Nikita Zadorov, 29, signed a six-year, $30 million contract in July with the Boston Bruins and has seemingly found his niche with the club. He’s sacrificed some offense to bring more stable defensive performances on the Bruins’ top pair, but it’s allowed him to truly excel in Boston.

Zadorov is currently logging the most minutes on the Bruins, second only to Charlie McAvoy, with 19:59. At 29 years old, Zadorov is seeing his highest average on-ice utilization in Boston, having far outperformed his time in Calgary, Chicago and Vancouver.

Zadorov explains his run of recent success and looks back on his time in Vancouver in an exclusive interview with RG.

Getting Settled in Boston

Having been signed as a free agent, the idea was that Zadorov was being brought on to stabilize the Bruins’ defense. It’s a defensive corps that has seen a lot of change over the last three years, and, with McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm on the roster, Zadorov is being asked to carry much of the offensive load.

“Nobody even looks at my points here,” Zadorov said.

“They didn’t sign me to score goals or rack up assists. Yes, in last year’s playoffs, I got lucky; they were flying in from improbable angles. It was my overall play, not my goals, in the Stanley Cup playoffs that had a very big impact on the level of interest that teams had in me in the offseason.”

In fact, if you were to ask general manager Don Sweeney why Boston made the move to sign Zadorov, it had everything to do with his defensive and physical play; a trademark of Bruins hockey.

“When I talked to the management about why they signed me, they said: ‘We saw you play in the playoffs, and we think you can do it every night. Our job is to get it out of you,’” said Zadorov. “They told me: ‘Your job is to play against top players, to win all the fights against them. And the most important thing is that they should hate playing against you.’ That’s why I’m here.”

Sometimes that physicality can land Zadorov in hot water, earning a string of penalties of late that have proven to be costly. However, according to Zadorov, that extra gear of aggression has a way of paying off when it truly matters.

“In every game, there's an additional battle happening within the game itself, and you aim to win that. You need to do things that break the concentration of your opponents,” said Zadorov. “The average fan might not notice this, and they’ll think you’re just getting some stupid penalty. But really, you’re sending a message here, either to your team or to the other team, and psychologically, you win out. You need to feel it – and I think I already have enough experience in both the regular season and the playoffs to know when and what to do.”

Love For Vancouver

The irony of fate: when Zadorov was growing up in Moscow, he was a Canucks fan, the team he played for last spring. When the veteran defenseman made the request to be traded from the Calgary Flames last season, he had no idea he would be traded to a divisional rival and his boyhood club.

“I was ready to sign with Calgary. I told the general manager that I wanted to stay and was ready to consider extending my contract. But no one offered us [with agent Dan Milstein] anything,” said Zadorov.

“Every other pending free agent was getting contract offers at the time, so Dan and I decided that we had to leave before the deadline.”

Ultimately, Zadorov and his agent saw it best to request a trade and head somewhere that could help Zadorov maximize his value before becoming a free agent in the summer of 2024.

But some things simply can’t be written that poetically. Zadorov ended up in Vancouver, a move that he feels profoundly changed him as a hockey player.

“Those were probably the coolest six months of my career. It's a blast to play hockey there. The fans are awesome, the city is cool, the team is cool too. The team, the coaching staff - everything was super. Head coach [Rich] Tocchet, [Daniel and Henrik] Sedins, [Adam] Foote, [Sergei] Gonchar - wherever you look, there’s a Hall of Famer,” said Zadorov regarding his admiration for the Canucks organization. “You can learn a lot from everyone. When Sergei Gonchar came in, he worked a lot with all the defensemen individually. I think those six months were a big boost for my career, I changed a lot as a player.”

Heading to Vancouver changed his view on the game, and helped him discover new aspects of his ability on the ice. Beyond his own development, Zadorov recalls the culture and fan base surrounding the Canucks as being especially memorable.

When free agency came around in July 2024, Zadorov faced an intriguing decision: stay in Vancouver or test the waters to see if a big-market team would make an offer.

The Canucks remained aggressive in their approach, offering a similar contract to the one Zadorov ultimately signed with the Boston Bruins. Some things about playing in Boston simply provided too many added benefits to turn down.

“Yes, Vancouver showed interest,” he answered, confirming that he talked to about twenty teams. “And in terms of money, it was basically the same contract that I got in Boston. Vancouver didn't offend me, everything they offered was very good. There were a couple of moments in the negotiations that I didn't like - both the way they were conducted and the way the information was presented to me. But that wasn't the main thing.”

For Zadorov, there was a clear preference for playing in the United States over Canada, as is customary in the NHL. Zadorov thought about where best to raise his young family, and the attractiveness of Boston stood out much more as one of the major hubs of the United States.

“In the end, when it was time to make a decision, we weighed everything up, and a couple of factors played into the fact that it was more comfortable for our family to play in the US than in Canada,” said Zadorov. “You make a list and check off the boxes: this is more suitable here; this is more suitable there. In the end, we chose what was more relevant for hockey and more relevant for life.”

Another unexpected, yet welcomed benefit, is that playing in the Eastern Conference requires far less travel than the Pacific Division in the Western Conference.

Boston Energy

Beyond just the perks of playing in Boston, there’s the actual team life and day-to-day that Zadorov is more than satisfied with. He feels that he’s hit the ground running in Boston, despite being a historically slow starter to NHL seasons.

“I'm happy, everything is great. I think I have another level I can get to; I usually start the season slowly, especially with new teams. But closer to the playoffs, I find my game,” said Zadorov of his first few months in Boston. “I'm happy with how and what game I play. It's clear that I can and want more, and I understand what money and what role I was signed for here. And I'm trying to do everything.”

He's eased himself right into a top-pair role, playing alongside a Norris-caliber defenseman in Charlie McAvoy at even strength. It’s been an adjustment for Zadorov, but he feels that they’re finally finding their groove as a defensive unit.

“Playing on the first pair is very demanding, both on your mind and body.

You play against the best of the opposition and your ice time goes up, which increases the load you need to manage throughout the season,” explained Zadorov. “The other day, our pair constantly played against Kucherov, and my task was to ensure that Nikita did not score goals or even a point. With the change of role compared to previous teams, many details have changed that I always have to consider.”

Zadorov's new team didn't get off to a good start to the season, and to the great surprise of many, head coach Jim Montgomery, with whom the Bruins broke long-standing NHL records and won the President's Trophy just two seasons ago, was fired and replaced by Joe Sacco.

Before making his decision to choose the Bruins, Zadorov made a quick call to his fellow countryman, Dmitry Orlov, who briefly played under Montgomery a few seasons prior. Zadorov heard great things and was excited to work with this championship-caliber coaching staff, but, things didn’t go exactly to plan.

“I think it's wrong to say anything to Montgomery's back. I'll just say one thing: what I heard about him, including from Orlov and other people, I didn't see this season. It was a little different,” said Zadorov of his former coach.

Although losing such a strong coach early in the season was unfortunate, something needed to be done. Joe Sacco took over as head coach, and the ambiance in the room and around the organization seems much lighter.

Despite finding some early success, Zadorov explains that the Bruins still need to find their consistency; especially as the race for the Eastern Conference playoffs has heated up in a serious way.

“At the beginning of the season, we played terribly. Then, after the coaching change, we played very well in the first twenty games, but then lost six in a row. We’ve now gotten out of that situation and are finding our game,” said Zadorov of the ups and downs this season. “It’s clear that fans and media always have high expectations of the team, and some players find it harder to cope with that pressure.”

Unique Personalities

But playing for the Boston Bruins means integrating within a team with some pretty large personalities. Captain Brad Marchand, who is usually all over Bruins PR videos on social media, makes for one of the funniest teammates Zadorov has ever had the privilege of being around. Even Marchand’s mom has been getting in on all the fun and banter of late!

But, beyond all the jokes, Marchand also brings a level of energy and commitment that goes well beyond that of an average hockey player.

“Marchand is exactly what I expected when I joined the team: a motor that never stops and constantly brings energy to the team.

I don’t understand where he gets all that energy from or how he does it. The captain, three children, the main cheerleader, and a person who comes to every training session and works harder than anyone I’ve ever seen,” said Zadorov of his new captain. “It’s a pleasure to play with him! It’s very funny to watch how he provokes opponents, because, for so many years, he did it to me. But now that we’re on the same team, you can’t help but laugh.”

Beyond Marchand is the ever-entertaining sniper, David Pastrnak, who has been lighting up the NHL for over a decade now. Zadorov always saw him as a dangerous scorer, but, after spending more time around him in games and practice, promoted the electric forward’s Hockey IQ and playmaking ability as underrated.

“Pasta is so talented! When you play against him, you don’t notice some things. When you practice with him, you understand what he can do and why he is who he is. He has the highest hockey IQ I’ve ever seen. He is a very electric goalscorer because he can find the space to score on you at any given moment,” said Zadorov of his team’s star goalscorer. “Most people who watch him play think that he is only a scorer. But in fact, he is a very slick passer; and in this regard, Pasta, I think, is even slightly underrated.”

Clearly, Zadorov has found his niche in Boston and plans on staying for a long time as he continues to chase a playoff spot, while raising a young family. Although it hurt him profoundly to leave his boyhood team, he has no regrets; remembering his time there fondly and showing recognition of an experience that helped shape him as a player.