Player Discussion Nikita Zadorov

[Kalus]

It’s still early, gotta give him at least half a season before we really know what he is on this team, but so far to my eye he looks like what he has been over his long career: a good third pairing defenseman.

Having a third pairing defenseman eat up $5M of cap for six years through age 36, where we’ll be watching his play decline over that term as he regresses with age, is not a decision I would underwrite.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

It’s still early, gotta give him at least half a season before we really know what he is on this team, but so far to my eye he looks like what he has been over his long career: a good third pairing defenseman.

Having a third pairing defenseman eat up $5M of cap for six years through age 36, where we’ll be watching his play decline over that term as he regresses with age, is not a decision I would underwrite.

Zadorov hasn't been a third pair defenseman here.

And he's really going to have to step up his game with Lindholm out.

Most of the time defensemen peak later than forwards.

 

[4ORRBRUIN]

Zadorov will be fine, he's exacty what I expected

 

[EverettMike]

Zadorov hasn't been a third pair defenseman here.

And he's really going to have to step up his game with Lindholm out.

Most of the time defensemen peak later than forwards.

I don't know if this is true, but I do know defensemen don't peak in their 30s. Some also fall off a cliff in their early 30s.

 

[TD Charlie]

We all know what’s coming while Lindholm and Peeke are on the shelf

More TOI

More PIMS

Oh joy.

 

[BruinDust]

Zadorov hasn't been a third pair defenseman here.

And he's really going to have to step up his game with Lindholm out.

Most of the time defensemen peak later than forwards.

I'd argue his peak started when he was 26 and arrived in Calgary in 2021-22. We are likely in the final couple seasons of his peak performance.

The good news I think is he's very thick and should be durable, which might help prolong his peak years. 99% of the league just bounce off him.

 

[Clode]

I wonder if a game or two in the press box would do him well. Vancouver did it with him when he first got there and he ended up being their best defenseman come playoff time. Not that I think hes been terrible or anything but there are a lot of times where he seems like hes still not sure where he needs to be as far a D zone coverage. He self admitted during an interview before the season started that it can take him a while to grasp a new system so maybe a different viewpoint could help catch him up to speed a bit quicker.

 

[PB37]

My #1 complaint about Zadarov is that for a guy who skates well with the puck, when he doesn't have it he tends to stand still a lot in the defensive zone and then over compensates by ignoring his positioning when he's a step or two behind the play. Overall, I think he's come as advertised, the good and the bad. I think with more games as a Bruin, he'll get a better sense of what he should be doing with the Bruins style of defending.

 

[22Brad Park]

Radko Gudas 2nd overall in goals by a D-man?

Are you really comparing Zadorov (and his cap hit) to a couple guys making basically league minimum?

Brutal take, but it figures.

I like Gudas, he is hard to play against.Grew up in home where his dad played on National team, so knows the game.Zadorov needs to stop wandering around ,especially on PK.

 

[NDiesel]

I don't know if this is true, but I do know defensemen don't peak in their 30s. Some also fall off a cliff in their early 30s.

Feel like all of Boychuk, Chara and Seidenberg had their best seasons here in their 30s within the last couple decades, right?

Just to name a few of our own...

Lidstrom also won his first of many norris' once turning 30 too. Giardano had his best stretch plus a norris too after 30. I'm sure there are many more

 

[EverettMike]

Feel like all of Boychuk, Chara and Seidenberg had their best seasons here in their 30s within the last couple decades, right?

Just to name a few of our own...

Lidstrom also won his first of many norris' once turning 30 too. Giardano had his best stretch plus a norris too after 30. I'm sure there are many more

Some guys also have career years as rookies, doesn't make it the norm. And for every "he was better in his 30s" there are guys like Dion Phaneuf and PK Subban who were all-stars early and basically done at 30.

 

[Hookslide]

I don't know if this is true, but I do know defensemen don't peak in their 30s. Some also fall off a cliff in their early 30s.

An some of them just fall down.

 

[NDiesel]

Some guys also have career years as rookies, doesn't make it the norm. And for every "he was better in his 30s" there are guys like Dion Phaneuf and PK Subban who were all-stars early and basically done at 30.

Definitely, I'm not banking on a career peak in his 30s with Zadorov, but you never know

 

[Kegs]

I have no complaints about this player. I actually think this teams defence is fine. The forwards aren’t scoring. And maybe with improved ice time zad might score. He can score. He has a cannon. I’m finding he is really finding his place on this roster. I think he is their second best left handed defender. They are stacked on the right side imo. He will get better and better as the season progresses and I love how he can just dump guys to the ice at will. And no one ever messes with him. I’d like to see him on the point on the power play.

 

[Hookslide]

I have no complaints about this player. I actually think this teams defence is fine. The forwards aren’t scoring. And maybe with improved ice time zad might score. He can score. He has a cannon. I’m finding he is really finding his place on this roster. I think he is their second best left handed defender. They are stacked on the right side imo. He will get better and better as the season progresses and I love how he can just dump guys to the ice at will. And no one ever messes with him. I’d like to see him on the point on the power play.

Sweeney went after defensive depth, and now with the injuries, it proving to be a good move, but they do need goalscoring. Maybe with the injuries ,Zadorov will find his game and really step up, we can only hopw.

 

[RoccoF14]

Sweeney went after defensive depth, and now with the injuries, it proving to be a good move, but they do need goalscoring. Maybe with the injuries ,Zadorov will find his game and really step up, we can only hopw.

What "game" are we hoping he finds? He's playing about as well as he always has. He had an outlier year in 2022-23 with 14 goals, but other than that, he's pretty much on track with career averages.

He hasn't scored a goal yet, but he's blocking shots and making hits. He DOES need to stop turning the puck over, but he's not alone there. The problem with a lot of Bruins fans were that they were expecting him to be some kind of difference maker on the ice......He's not, and he never has been. He's a bottom half d-man on a good team. Get used to it.

 

[BruinDust]

What "game" are we hoping he finds? He's playing about as well as he always has. He had an outlier year in 2022-23 with 14 goals, but other than that, he's pretty much on track with career averages.

He hasn't scored a goal yet, but he's blocking shots and making hits. He DOES need to stop turning the puck over, but he's not alone there. The problem with a lot of Bruins fans were that they were expecting him to be some kind of difference maker on the ice......He's not, and he never has been. He's a bottom half d-man on a good team. Get used to it.

View attachment 930687

Bottom half D-men don't make half the defensive coverage errors he does.

 

[RoccoF14]

Bottom half D-men don't make half the defensive coverage errors he does.

LOL, I was trying to be kind and give him the benefit of the doubt. We got $5x5 and a NTC sunk on him and I’m trying to stay positive.

 

[trenton1]

He'd be awesome to have at 2m a year.

 

[BruinDust]

His defensive coverage is so brutal at this point he's a complete liability on the back-end. Just put him on LW on the 4th line and send him in on the forecheck trucking people. That's all he's good for. He's not even a deterrent. Was on the ice when Benn cheap-shotted Carlo. Yeah Zadorov responded but I thought the point of his toughness and presence was to deter the cheap-shot to begin with.

Maybe it's time we all just admit fighting doesn't deter anything in the NHL anymore.

 

[BadBruins]

He has a backbone and the right mentality at least. I'll give him that. Wish the same could be said for others. Can play on my team any day. This team is an all around mess defensively and there is nobody that looks more confused as he does. Bad pinches, blown coverage. Probably the worst possible time for him to work his way into the mix. I like the tools. I believe he's better than this. Same for McAvoy, Carlo, Lindholm etc.

 

[BruinDust]

He has a backbone and the right mentality at least. I'll give him that. Wish the same could be said for others. Can play on my team any day. This team is an all around mess defensively and there is nobody that looks more confused as he does. Bad pinches, blown coverage. Probably the worst possible time for him to work his way into the mix. I like the tools. I believe he's better than this. Same for McAvoy, Carlo, Lindholm etc.

Can he be coached into playing solid structured defense? I guess he's suppose to be a physical stay-at-home type of D-man usually in the defensives end those player can pull their weight but right now he's not an asset defensive or offensively.

At least he was pissed off by the end of it tonight. A lot more than their so-called coaching staff.

 

[NDiesel]

His defensive coverage is so brutal at this point he's a complete liability on the back-end. Just put him on LW on the 4th line and send him in on the forecheck trucking people. That's all he's good for. He's not even a deterrent. Was on the ice when Benn cheap-shotted Carlo. Yeah Zadorov responded but I thought the point of his toughness and presence was to deter the cheap-shot to begin with.

Maybe it's time we all just admit fighting doesn't deter anything in the NHL anymore.

I like his willingness to throw his body but he's so bad at knowing when to do it. Out of position waaaay too much just to throw a body check

 

[BadBruins]

Can he be coached into playing solid structured defense? I guess he's suppose to be a physical stay-at-home type of D-man usually in the defensives end those player can pull their weight but right now he's not an asset defensive or offensively.

At least he was pissed off by the end of it tonight. A lot more than their so-called coaching staff.

I don't know.... because I honestly question that about every single player on the roster right now.

 

[RoccoF14]

I like his willingness to throw his body but he's so bad at knowing when to do it. Out of position waaaay too much just to throw a body check

That’s his game. Always has been and is one of the reasons he’s on his 6th team. It’s gotten him paid handsomely and I don’t blame him one bit. I really don’t want him being the next whipping boy on this board.

It’s the people that should have known better than to sign him for stupid term/money and give him an NTC that I have the problem with…