Nikita Zadorov had a tough outing against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday, including a double-minor penalty after he interfered with former Boston Bruins forward Frank Vatrano and, out of frustration, delivered a high hit. It was a perfect example of the physical defenseman constantly toeing the line and what makes him the league's most penalized player over the past three seasons.
Some parts of his game Bruins fans love, and some people in the front office still believe have a place in the game. However, when he repeatedly puts the Bruins shorthanded with bad decisions, gets beaten wide by faster forwards, and finds himself up ice when he shouldn't, the bad starts to outweigh the good.
Marco Sturm took a stand on Saturday night, citing Zadorov's bad penalties as the reason why he was a healthy scratch against the Los Angeles Kings. While the head coach was "up-front" about the reason for the scratch, the defenseman has taken penalties since joining the Bruins and has never been disciplined. His play was undoubtedly part of the reason for the scratch.
Zadorov is outspoken, and his agent, Dan Milstein, isn't afraid to make his feelings known publicly, either. The agent made waves on Saturday when he alluded to the fact that Toronto, of all teams, wouldn't treat Zadorov this way, a point he knew would stir Boston.
No he would not… https://t.co/U88cT9wJog
— Dan Milstein (@HockeyAgent1) October 18, 2026
Dan Milstein's pot-stirring with Bruins, Nikita Zadorov
The bad news for Zadorov and his agent is that the team still won without the defenseman. When the team practiced Monday afternoon, he was still on the fourth pair with Connor Clifton, leading people to believe he could be a healthy scratch for the second straight game.
One thing to remember: Sturm told reporters after practice that the lines didn't really matter for Tuesday's game against the Dallas Stars. Zadorov may end up out of the lineup, or his pair with Clifton may not have been the fourth pair at all, and Sturm may bring both back into the lineup and potentially sit the Jonathan Aspirot-William Borgen pair. We really don't know what Sturm and the coaching staff are thinking.
Nevertheless, the agent's comments and Zadorov's overall unpredictability make this a major story to watch. While Zadorov looked like an important piece of this lineup, the emergence of Frederic Brunet and Mason Lohrei this season, plus the physical defenseman arguably being the team's worst blue-liner, might have changed his place in the pecking order.
Do I want Zadorov to go to Toronto and play against a ticked-off version of him three or four times per season? It could backfire on the Bruins, but as we know, it could also mean a couple of extra powerplays for David Pastrnak and co. Then again, we're talking about the Maple Leafs, and a trade with them could bring the Bruins a hefty return, if history tells us anything.
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