Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club acquired defenceman Nikita Zadorov from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft (previously acquired by Vancouver from Chicago in a November 28th trade) and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
“Nikita is a big, strong and mobile two-way defenceman who will bring more physicality to our backend,” said Allvin. “We really like his size and reach and his addition to our blueline gives us more depth and better options moving forward.”
Zadorov, 28, has appeared in 21 games with the Flames this season, registering six points (1-5-6) and 23 penalty minutes.
In 588 career regular season NHL games split between Calgary, Chicago, Colorado and Buffalo, the 6’6” 248-pound defenceman has collected 132 points (42-90-132), 599 penalty minutes and a +6 plus/minus rating. Zadorov has also appeared in 45 career playoff games, tallying 11 points (4-7-11), 98 penalty minutes and a +3 plus/minus rating.
Internationally, Zadorov has competed for Team Russia on numerous occasions, including the 2014 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, the 2019 IIHF World Championships, and the 2021 World Championships, where he was second in plus/minus at +11 while notching three assists in eight games.
Zadorov was initially selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round, 16th overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
