When the Boston Bruins were getting ready to play the Los Angeles Kings on the second night of a back-to-back on Saturday night in Southern California, second-year head coach Marco Sturm met with the media before the game and announced some lineup changes.
Pavel Zacha was ruled out with an upper-body injury, which wasn't surprising after he missed the final 12 minutes the night before against the Anaheim Ducks in a 4-2 victory. The other lineup change was defenseman Jonathan Aspirot slotting in for Nikita Zadorov. That opened some eyes when it was announced.
Aspirot played well in the Bruins' 4-1 victory, and on Monday, the Black and Gold took the ice at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas ahead of Tuesday night's game against the Stars. Zadorov was not part of the top six defensemen, which Sturm said after the game not to read into the practice lines as a look ahead to Tuesday night. However, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe caught up with Zadorov who had some interesting things to say.
#Bruins Nikita Zadorov opens up about "disappointing" benching; ready to put it behind him. Zadorov: "I’m emotionally invested on and off the ice. So, when I go out there, I will die for any of my teammates and this logo that’s on my chest." https://t.co/qGJYjBUWAO
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) October 19, 2026
Nikita Zadorov speaks on benching against Kings
I'm sure Zadorov is disappointed, and depending on who you talk to, the opinions on what Sturm did vary. Sure, the Bruins won the game to complete their three-game sweep in California, but this isn't the first time that Sturm has made a veteran a scratch to send a message.
He did last year with Casey Mittlestadt during a trip out West, and the results spoke for themselves. Sturm also did it with forward Marat Khusnutdinov. Again, another player who responded very well to the benching. Now, all eyes are going to be on Zadorov when he returns to see how he reacts.
Will that be on Tuesday night in Dallas? Most likely. If it doesn't, well, then we have a bigger issue behind closed doors than most fans think or want there to be. Unless there is a bigger issue that Sturm and Zadorov were leading on there, it would be stunning if we don't get to see his response in Texas.
Sturm noted that Zadorov's undisciplined play was part of the reason for his scratch from the lineup, and really, it's about the amount of time he spent in the penalty box after taking three minors on Friday night in Anaheim. Now, for Sturm to bench Zadorov, he said it was a coach's decision, but you have to think that general manager Don Sweeney was part of the decision-making. If not, then oh boy. Tuesday should be an interesting day and night around the Bruins. All of a sudden, Zacha's injury takes a bit of a backseat to Zadorov's drama.
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