When free agency opened back in July, there were a lot of questions as to what Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney had up his sleeve for improving the roster for the 2026-27 season. Sweeney and team President Cam Neely acknowledged that more talent was needed if the Black and Gold were going to make a second straight playoff appearance.
As it turns out, most of the talent added to the roster came through trades, rather than free agency. The biggest name added through free agency was defenseman Connor Clifton, returning to the Bruins. Before the NHL Entry Draft back in late June, Sweeney acquired forward JJ Peterka from the Utah Mammoth for two first-round picks. Also acquired on July 1 was defenseman Will Borgen from the New York Rangers.
However, before Borgen was acquired, there were rumors that the Bruins were closing in on acquiring defenseman Darnell Nurse from the Edmonton Oilers. The deal reportedly fell through, and then rumors began swirling that a Bruins player refused to waive their no-trade protection to get the deal done. That got everyone thinking about who it might have been. There were rumors that it was Boston defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Speaking with Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, Zadorov put those rumors to bed.
Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov denies trade rumor
Conroy spoke with the Bruins' big defenseman, he denied it was him that refused to waive his no-trade clause to get the deal done.
"It's not true,'' Zadorov said. "It was something from the imagination. You've been in hockey for a long time, and that trade wouldn't have made sense for anybody, especially for this team. That's why everyone put it away right away.
"I have a contract here. I love it here and I enjoying playing with the guys and everything.''
Well, there you go. It's kind of a little subtle shot at the front office if the trade was indeed trying to get done by the Bruins, no? Regardless, Zadorov is in Boston and ready to go on another season with an organization he's glad to be a part of. Will Sweeney or any of the other Bruins address the situation this week when asked by the media? Unlikely.
This is going to he a short camp for the Black and Gold along with the rest of the NHL, as Opening Night is on Sept. 29 for the Bruins against the Rangers at the TD Garden. Just what the lineup looks like remains to be seen. What we do know is that Darnell Nurse won't be there.
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