Zadorov reveals why he requested a trade from the Flames
Nikita Zadorov never initially had any plans of leaving the Calgary Flames.
The 29-year-old shocked many early into the 2023-24 season when it was announced that he had requested a trade out of Calgary. General manager Craig Conroy acted swiftly, shipping him out to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for two draft picks.
Zadorov has a new home once again, inking a six-year, $30 million deal with the Boston Bruins this past summer. While he seems thrilled to be in Boston, he admitted recently on the What Chaos! podcast that things could have been much different had he received different treatment from ownership and management in Calgary.
“I was talking to the ownership when [Brad] Treliving [announced he was leaving]. I still said, ‘I still believe in this team, I want to stay. I have one more year on my deal, maybe we can start talking after July 1,'” Zadorov explained.
“Everything was positive, but then we had six, seven free agents, Lindy, Hanifin, Tanev, all those guys. Everybody got an offer except me. Obviously, we talked in the room, and I felt like it was a little disrespectful for me because of how much heart and effort I put into that team and organization.”
As Zadorov alluded to, he was one of several big-name pending UFAs the Flames had entering the 2023-24 season, along with Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin, Chris Tanev, and Mikael Backlund. Ultimately, Backlund was the only one signed to an extension, while the others all wound up being traded. Still, you can understand his frustration over being the only one of that group to not receive an extension offer.
Zadorov also spoke about his time playing for Darryl Sutter, a coach who he has voiced support for in the past. Once again, he had nothing but praise for the 2021-22 Jack Adams Award winner.
“The two years with Darryl were the best two years of my life,” he said. “I really enjoyed it. He’s a big reason why I’m at where I’m at right now. He taught me so much, and I enjoyed my time over there.”
The Flames are a completely different group from when Zadorov was a part of the team, as they opted for a rebuilding approach. In the end, things seem to have worked out well for the 6-foot-6 defenceman, as he is part of a Bruins roster that has Stanley Cup aspirations.
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