Nikita Zadorov was traded to Vancouver Canucks by the Calgary Flames on Thursday.
Calgary received a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft and a fifth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft that Vancouver initially acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 28-year-old defenseman has six points (one goal, five assists) in 21 games this season while averaging 18:24 of ice time per game. He had 21 points (14 goals, seven assists) in 82 games in 2022-23.
“We’re really excited,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said after 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday. “He’s a big guy, he can skate and he can shoot. We talked to him today an hour before the game, [he’s] really excited to come here. Our environment can really help him.
“We need minutes. We’re playing some other guys too much, and you can tell it’s starting to wear on our defense and he’s a much needed guy.”
The Canucks are expected to be without defenseman Carson Soucy for another 4-6 weeks with a lower-body injury after he blocked a shot with his left foot during a 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 12. Right-shot defenseman Mark Friedman has been playing on the left side in Soucy’s absence.
The move comes two days after Vancouver created additional salary cap space by trading forward Anthony Beauvillier to Chicago. Zadorov can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
“Nikita is a big, strong and mobile two-way defenseman who will bring more physicality to our backend,” Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said. “We really like his size and reach and his addition to our blue line gives us more depth and better options moving forward.”
The Canucks (15-7-1) visit the Flames (9-10-3) on Saturday.
“It was great playing with him for a couple of years. He’s a great guy,” Calgary defenseman Noah Hanifin said after 4-3 overtime win against the Dallas Stars on Thursday. “I wish him nothing but the best moving forward. It’ll be pretty funny playing against him on Saturday. I wish him the best.”
A first-round pick (No. 16) by the Buffalo Sabres, Zadorov has 132 points (42 goals, 90 assists) in 588 regular-season games with the Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Blackhawks and Flames. He has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 45 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
“First, I’d like to thank Nikita for his commitment to the Flames and his professionalism through this process,” Flames general manager Craig 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 assets, cap space and the opportunity for another one of our young prospects to prove himself in the NHL.”
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