On Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks acquired Flames defenseman, Nikita Zadorov in a trade deal. As part of the deal, the Calgary Flames received a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL draft and a fifth-round selection in the 2024 draft that the Canucks had previously acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks.
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Zadorov recorded seven points in 22 games this season while averaging 18:22 of ice time per game. He tallied 21 points in 82 games during the 2022-23 season.
Throughout his career. Zadorov has played with the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, and Calgary Flames. The six-foot-six, 248-pound Russian defenseman racked up 42 goals, 90 assists, and 599 penalty minutes in over 588 career NHL games.
Flames general manager, Craig Conroy released a statement regarding Zadorov’s trade to the Canucks organization.
‘First, I’d like to thank Nikita for his commitment to the Flames and his orofessionalism through the process.’ Conroy said. “Our hockey operations group works every day to find opportunities that make our team better today and for the future. This trade provides us with important draft assests, cap space and the opportunity for another one of our young prospects to prove himself in the NHL.”
The Vancouver Canucks weren’t the only team with an interest in the defenseman. the Toronto Maple Leafs were another team linked to Zadorov. However, the team was unable to close on the deal despite making an offer because of their cap constraints.
Zadorov’s first game with his new team was against his former club, the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.
The game was a fair fight. During the third period, Zadorov ended up with a touch on the game-winning, empty-net goal. During the replay, many fans watching assumed that Zadorov scored the game-winning goal but he insisted that Elias Pettersson was the last player to touch it. As of 10:55 pm on Saturday night, the NHL officially credited the goal to Canucks forward, Elias Petterson.
Zadorov is scheduled for free agency next summer which was confirmed on November 11.
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