Three summers ago, Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made a couple of big free agent splashes when he signed forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov. Both filled a need at the time, but the returns in their first year in Boston were not what anyone expected.
As a team, the Bruins struggled and fell to the bottom of the Eastern Conference, tied with the Philadelphia Flyers. Zadorov struggled mightily at the beginning of his Bruins tenure, but got better as the season went along and actually finished with a plus/minus of plus-25. He actually played better after the trade deadline sale Sweeney had and was paired with Henri Jokiharju, who was acquired from the Buffalo Sabres after Sweeney traded Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
However, one thing was clear: if the Black and Gold were going to turn things around in 2025-26, they needed Zadorov to be just as good as he was at the end of the previous season or better. With that said, here is a grade for Zadorov's 2025-26 season.
Nikita Zadorov's 2025-26 regular season
Zadorov was as good as the Bruins needed him to be this past season. He played in 81 regular-season games for the second straight year in Boston and finished with two goals and a career-high 20 assists. He registered 22 points for the second consecutive season after potting four goals and picking up 18 helpers in his first season with the Black and Gold.
Lindholm has been a disappointment for the Bruins in his first two years, mainly because he has been battling a back injury since training camp two years ago. There were some rumors that the Bruins were shopping Zadorov in a potential trade with the Edmonton Oilers earlier this month, which would have acquired Darnell Nurse, but it's hard to imagine Boston is looking to move Zadorov as he is exactly what they need on the backend going forward.
Nikita Zadorov's 2026 postseason
In his first playoff with the Bruins, Zadorov finished with an assist and a minus-1 while averaging 19:35 a game in the six-game series. Like so many of his teammates, he got caught up with the Buffalo Sabres shenanigans and racked up a whopping 37 minutes in penalties over the six games. Going forward, he is a big part of playing in front of Jeremy Swayman and a key member of the defense.
Nikita Zadorov's 2025-26 Grade: A-
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