Brad Marchand selected some choice words to describe Nikita Zadorov. The Bruins captain called the club’s newest defenseman a “predator.” He called him an “animal.”
In any other walk of life, those words would seem supremely insulting. But this is pro hockey, and Marchand was paying Zadorov the highest of compliments. Not only is the Moscow-born Zadorov an intimidating presence at 6-foot-6, 250-pounds, but he’s now the Bruins’ predator/animal after signing a six-year, $30 million contract. He will be making his official Bruin debut on Tuesday against the Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
On an already beefy defense corps, Zadorov stands out.
But on and off the ice, square-jawed Zadorov is a lot more than just a cyborg-like destroyer. In spite of his massive frame, he skates very well and, though he’s rarely been a big point producer in his five previous NHL stops, he’s got a good shot and offensive-minded instincts.
Off the ice, he’s engaging and thoughtful, willing to mix it up with teammates and have fun with the usual dressing room barbs. He’s a big fan of sports in general and can’t wait to get to some Celtics’ games this year. He’s also not afraid to speak his mind on world issues that are of grave importance, something not as common in hockey as it is in other sports.
And Zadorov is very self-aware. He knows what jersey he’s about to pull on and he knows the Boston blue line once had a towering figure whose last name also began with Z. But the day he signed last July, he playfully laid some ground rules on a Zoom call with reporters. Whatever you do, he said, don’t call him Big Z, referring of course to the nickname of former captain Zdeno Chara
“You can find similarity in every player, but also every player is an individual, so I would say it’s unfair to me and unfair to him to compare us. But I am who I am,” said the 29-year-old Zadorov in a chat with the Herald during training camp. “You guys have seen me for the past 11, 12 years in this league and you know what I can bring… I’m just here to do my job and hopefully I do it good.”
Zadorov may be a multi-dimensional player, but he knows what his calling card is – physicality. The NHL stats suggest he’s less of a volume hitter these days. He led the league’s defensemen in hits in 2017-18 when he was in Colorado with 278 and was in the league’s top 10 among D-men for four straight years. Last year in a season split between Calgary and Vancouver, he was ranked 22nd among blueliners with 178.
Hit stats are up to the officials judging them from the press box, and they can be notoriously capricious. Zadorov chalked part of the numbers drop-off to that, but also credited a growing maturity in his game.
“It’s the buildings you play in. When you play in Colorado, they’re giving you hits for every touch. And then you go to Canada, it’s older people who’ve been there for 60 years counting hits and sometimes they miss hits. I don’t think it’s a fair stat, because every building counts differently. You remember the Islanders with (Cal) Clutterbuck and (Matt) Martin, they’d just skate by a guy and touch him and then they got a hit. Then in some buildings you’ve got to run a guy through the glass to get a hit,” said Zadorov. “Maybe it is when I got older, I understood how to use my stick better instead of hitting sometimes. When I was young I was kind of running around a little bit from corner to corner, hitting guys but giving up plays and giving up passes through me. Now I’m focusing more on the stick side and all that. Obviously, that affected it, I think. But when I get the chance to hit someone, I’m not going to lay off. And it’s always been like that in my life.”
The quality of the check is also important, said Zadorov. He prides himself on delivering ones that matter.
“There are big hits by the boards, which are easier. But the big hits in open ice, that’s a skill set. Not many guys in the league have that. You’ve got to know the timing, you’ve got to be a good skater and you have to not be afraid to miss. That’s the skill set I have,” said Zadorov. “If you look at the open ice hits, I’m probably one of the best, if not the best, to do that in the league. Sometimes those hits, they can change the game, they can change a series in the playoffs, they can intimidate older players, they can get your teammates going. So that’s important for me to keep doing that because it’s really important for the emotional side of the game.”
What to expect offensively from Zadorov, who started training camp paired with Charlie McAvoy but was moved to a pairing with Andrew Peeke, is an interesting question. The highest point total he’s had 4-18-22 in Calgary when the Flames had an explosive front with Matthew Tkachuk, the late Johnny Gaudreau and new Bruin Elias Lindholm. The most goals he’s scored in a season was 14 the following season. While that number looks like an outlier – the most he’s scored in any other season was seven – Zadorov doesn’t think it has to be.
“Why not? I’ve done it once,” said Zadorov. “I played with great players who were setting me up, obviously. Sometimes you’re feeling it and everything goes in when you shoot it. That happens too. But if you work hard in practice on your shot, you understand the system, and when the system fits you perfectly, that’s the result. Right now I’m adjusting to a new system and new team and the new mentality here. So hopefully when I adjust finally and I’m feeling like myself, it will come.”
His teammates, new and old, are enjoying his presence in the room.
“I absolutely love him,” said Marchand. “I’ve played against him and I hated it. I love having him with our group. He’s great off the ice and on the bench and in the room. He’s always yapping, keeping things light, keeping the guys on their toes. Incredible addition to the group. I think he’s fit in great.”
McAvoy has been known to throw a punishing check himself, but Zadorov is in a different weight class.
“He’s a presence,” said McAvoy. “He’s got a good two-way game and I think the biggest thing is he’s big and he’s mean. At all of his stops, he’s someone you have to keep your head up for out there. Those guys tend to take up space in other teams’ minds.”
Zadorov raised his profile in the playoffs last year when he potted four goals with four assists in 13 games for the Canucks. Lindholm, who like Zadorov was traded from Calgary to Vancouver in separate deals, saw all is talents blossom last spring.
“Obviously, he’s a big presence. He’s a good locker room guy, he talks a lot and obviously a little too much sometimes,” said Lindholm with a laugh. “Nah, he’s good. I’ve been around him for a long time now and obviously he’s grow as a player and as a person. We have a really good D corps, which is exciting.
“In the playoffs, you saw him do a lot of things. He’s using is speed, he’s taking guys on and playing a really good two-way game. He has a heavy shot and likes to go on the rush. I think you saw a little bit of everything there. He’s one of the really good two-way defensemen in the league.”
While Lindholm joked about Zadoorov running off at the mouth, the defenseman raised eyebrows a year ago on a more serious matter. In an interview with a Russian journalist last year, Zadorov voiced his strong opposition to Russia’s war on Ukraine. It’s not a position many Russian hockey players in the NHL have taken, at least publicly, though the Rangers’ Artemi Panarin had been critical of Vladimir Putin even before the war.
Zadorov said he has no regrets for speaking out.
“It’s my country, it’s my blood and I’m patriotic to my country and that’s why I spoke out,” said Zadorov. “I just think it’s a not right thing what’s going on right now. Obviously, there was a lot of feedback, some positive, some negative. I probably sacrificed myself time to go back for a while. I don’t think it’s possible for a while until anything changes. But I’m still standing behind my words. I’m still against it and hopefully the horrible things that are going on in Ukraine will end soon.”
Zadorov will begin his Bruins’ journey in his offseason home away from home in south Florida, diving into what’s become a relatively new but intense rivalry with the Cup champions. He’s played in the Battle of Alberta as well as grudge matches between Colorado and Minnesota. He’s ready to dig in to all the bad blood the Atlantic Division has to offer.
“I know what people expect of me,” said Zadorov. “I know why I’m here and why the organization brought me here, so I just can’t wait to show it.”
