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.
"Shocked, like always," Zadorov said. "I feel like every guy that gets traded is a little bit shocked. Had a lot of messages, lot of calls, lot of people to talk to from the organization. I think it was a lot of business, for sure."
“We’re really excited,” Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said after a 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."
The 28-year-old defenseman has seven points (one goal, six assists) in 22 games this season, averaging 18:22 of ice time per game. He had 21 points (14 goals, seven assists) in 82 games in 2022-23.
“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 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.
“We felt we were a little bit thin on the back end there, and then Soucy got injured and we felt that we needed to address it," Allvin said Sunday. "We've been checking around the League, what's available, and Nikita was a name that was out there in conversations earlier, and we talked internally here and we felt it was a fit for us at this point."
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.
“I think this is a great opportunity for both sides," Allvin said. "For us to get to know Nikita better and for Nikita to get to know us better, so I hope we fit together and this could be long term.”
Zadorov had an assist in his first game with the Canucks (16-8-1), who defeated his former club, the Flames (10-11-3), 4-3 in Calgary on Saturday.
“I think he's unique in terms of size and ability to move in today's game and bring the hardness, a little bit of attitude, character to the back end, so definitely a guy that our guys had focused on," Allvin said.
A first-round pick (No. 16) by the Buffalo Sabres, Zadorov has 133 points (42 goals, 91 assists) in 589 regular-season games with the Sabres, Colorado Avalanche, Blackhawks, Flames and Canucks. 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.”
"Some people are probably surprised my teammates actually like me, right?" Zadorov said about his trade request. "It will be awkward, but when we go on the ice, like I said, there's no friends. They'll definitely be my friends for the rest of my life. It was an unbelievable two-and-a-half years. I enjoyed every part of the city. The fans, the people in here, it's unreal. My teammates were the best part of it. Hopefully, they will not hit me too hard today."
NHL.com independent correspondents Kevin Woodley and Aaron Vickers contributed to this report
