There has been optimism in the air as of late regarding the potential of the Calgary Flames entering the 2023-24 season, and Nikita Zadorov helped raise it to new heights on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old defenceman made a guest appearance on Flames Talk with Pat Steinberg, where he discussed what he expects from both himself and his team this coming season. It is clear that Zadorov has moved past what was a disappointing 2022-23 campaign for the Flames, and is extremely confident things will be better moving forward.
“I know one thing, I’m going to go out there and give everything,” Zadorov said. “We’re not even going to try. We’re going to make the playoffs this year for sure.”
Zadorov is entering the final year of his contract but clearly doesn’t have any intention of being dealt elsewhere any time soon. He is currently on a deal that carries a cap hit of $3.75 million and is a player that could certainly be worth an extension given how much he genuinely seems to love playing in Calgary.
Despite the rough 2022-23 season from the Flames, Zadorov was one of few who had himself a very solid year. The 6-foot-6 defenceman is known mainly for his bruising style of play, but was able to find a new gear offensively, scoring a career-high 14 goals.
While some may scoff at Zadorov’s notion that the Flames will be a playoff team this season, he may not be wrong to think so. Last season went about as bad as it could have for this team, with several players taking major steps back. With a more player-friendly coach in Ryan Huska replacing Darryl Sutter, there is reason to believe that many of those underachievers from a season ago will get their games back on track.
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