Nikita Zadorov: 2017-18 Season In Review

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov was a force to be reckoned with on the Avs blue line during the 2017-18 season.
The Moscow, Russia, native led the team with 103 penalty minutes and the NHL with 278 hits, becoming the first Colorado player to lead the league in hits in the club's history. Zadorov also set a new franchise record for the Avalanche in doing so, breaking Cody McLeod's record of 268 hits in a single season (2014-15).
On March 22 against the Los Angeles Kings, Zadorov registered 15 hits to set a single-game Avalanche record. It was the third-most hits by an NHL player since the league started recording the stat in 1998-99, joining Gary Roberts (17, 1998-99) and Zdeno Chara (17, 1999-00).

Zadorov not only broke club records this season but also set some personal season bests as well. He set career highs in goals (seven), assists (13) and points (20). He additionally played in 77 games throughout the season, the most in a single campaign for his career. On Feb. 22, he played in his 200th NHL game against the Edmonton Oilers.
"I was 18 years old when I played my first game," Zadorov said on the day of the milestone. "Now I'm five years older and have learned [a lot] from that time. All the coaches I've worked with, they've put so much work in it. Everyone else as well. I've grown as a player, and hopefully I don't stop.
"It has been lots of ups and downs. I've played in the minors, I've been traded and right now finally it has settled down a little bit and I can just focus on playing hockey."

The blueliner recorded his first goal as a member of the Avalanche on Oct. 13 versus the Anaheim Ducks, his fifth-career NHL tally. His next two goals of the season came in back-to-back games on Nov. 25-29 versus the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets. It was the first time in his NHL career he scored in consecutive contests.
When defenseman Erik Johnson suffered an upper-body injury on Feb. 18, Zadorov was trusted to cover more of the ice. Over the 13 games Johnson missed from Feb. 20-March 16, Zadorov was averaging 20-plus minutes a contest and he finished the season with a career-high time on ice of 19:28.
Big Z finished the season with a plus-4 rating, a new best for the 23-year-old. The young rear guard also finished with a career-high plus-4 rating in Colorado's 5-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings at Pepsi Center on March 18.
During the postseason, Zadorov recorded three points (one goal, two assists) throughout the Avalanche's six-game, first-round series matchup against the Nashville Predators. The defenseman was the first to score in the series, silencing the Preds' crowd in the first period of Game 1, his first-ever NHL playoff game.

"I have never played in the NHL playoffs before," Zadorov said before the series began. "I have spent five years in the league and have never had a shot at it. I mean I don't know what to expect, I've never been there before."
Zadorov has made himself a known presence on the ice to the league, and Avalanche fans should expect to see plenty more of that this upcoming season. Supporters can look forward to seeing more hits from the big defenseman in the burgundy and blue sweater during the 2018-19 campaign.