Nikita Zadorov will not be back with the Canucks next season.
General manager Patrik Allvin said Friday that the pending unrestricted free agent will be signing elsewhere.
“I can’t overpay one single player and Nikita Zadorov was extremely good for us in the playoffs and a character guy,” Allvin said. “We did our best and he decided that he wanted to go somewhere else.”
The 29-year-old defenseman was traded to the Canucks by the Calgary Flames for a a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in in the 2026 NHL Draft on Nov. 30, 2023.
He had 14 points (five goals, nine assists) and a plus-six rating in 54 games for the Canucks, and had eight points (four goals, four assists) and a plus-3 rating in 13 playoff games.
He had 146 points (47 goals, 99 assists) in 642 career NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks, Flames and Canucks.
He signed a two-year contract with annual average value of $3.75 million with the Flames on July 13, 2022.
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