BRIGHTON: There is no doubting that the Boston Bruins immediately prioritized being large, strong, and perhaps even a little mean on the back end in an obviously evident effort to grow bigger and stronger across the board. The addition of 6-foot-6 blueline bruiser Nikita Zadorov, who has a best hits reel of destroying opponents who had the gall to bring the puck into his zone with speed, playmaking, and the ability to score, punctuates the “bigger is better” movement.
In today’s kinder, gentler NHL, intimidation is all about this.
It is significant to us that Z [Nikita Zadorov] is here. It comes with a certain swagger to play a lot of top four minutes in the playoffs against elite players. Don Sweeney said, “He has definitely seen his game grow and probably get a little more defined in what he’s capable of doing.” He spent a lot of nights out early in his career trying to make an impression, and like other young players who are active in that regard, he occasionally made it for both teams.
He now has a clear understanding of his role and what he can offer. He’s ecstatic, and I believe his statement speaks for itself when it says he’s eager to join the Boston Bruins and maybe play alongside Charlie McAvoy and the team. We are thrilled to get him in because he was quite determined when we discovered he was interested in Boston for all the right reasons.
At 6-foot-1 and 209 pounds, McAvoy is now the smallest of the six Bruins defenseman who were anticipated to start the season; none of the other D-men even come close, measuring in at under 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds.
At 6 feet 6 inches and 248 pounds, Zadorov is now the biggest and most intimidating player, but despite this, he is becoming angry when people refer to him as “Big Z” because of Zdeno Chara’s legendary tenure as “Big Zee” in Black and Gold.
It’s difficult, after all. I want to start by saying that, although I’m not even close to Zdeno Chara, teams and people have called me “Big Z” in the past. I feel like I’m not even close to half of the “Big Zee,” so please don’t call me “Big Z” ever again.” Zadorov said. “He was amazing.” He is among the all-time great defensemen. He is undoubtedly a valuable resource for learning.
He was undoubtedly one of my childhood heroes due to his stature, his playful physical demeanor, and his leadership style. I believe I can pick up a lot from him.
Unquestionably, though, the Big Bad Bruins are returning somewhat to their classic, vintage selves, with bruisers like Brandon Carlo, Andrew Peeke, and Alex Zadorov relieving McAvoy of some of the need to constantly be the lineup’s heavy hitter. By adding Zadorov, McAvoy is able to concentrate more on advancing the puck and setting up plays. If they end up playing together, Zadorov may even shield him from some of the physical assault he receives.
To truly raise the Cup at the end of the season in today’s NHL, let’s face it, you need a group of towering trees across the back end.
Even big-bodied players like Mason Lohrei and Hampus Lindholm, who are adept at moving the puck, won’t be as readily overwhelmed near the net as smaller D-men have been in previous playoff seasons.
Even if he thinks there’s more to his game than hard hits and punishing opponents around the Boston net, Zadorov is clear about what his top priorities are.
“The league started to favor small, quick, skillful D-men as I grew older. There weren’t many of those in the league when I was drafted, but I mean, I can contribute offensively when you need it. Naturally, being physically strong and difficult to play against ranks #1 for me on defense,” Zadorov remarked. The most important thing is that, but I can also skate and score occasionally. I’m not much of a goal scorer, but I do my best, and like you mentioned, it can take some time for D-men to advance in this league. If you look, I definitely feel like one of those cases—I seem to be getting better every year.
It’s true that smaller defenseman may now have success in the regular season in this league, but if you’re not big, heavy, sturdy, and prepared to play to your size around the net, that could be a problem come Stanley Cup playoff time.
Is there any doubt that John Tavares knew he had an undersized Matt Grzelcyk covering him when he bull-rushed the net to set up this overtime playoff game-winner for the Maple Leafs? It’s unfortunate that it turned out to be his final play in a Boston Bruins uniform.
Plays like that may be fatal in the postseason when a skilled hockey team with a wealth of shrewd players exposes and takes advantage of weaknesses. Naturally, the Bruins bounced back and made it to the second round of the playoffs, but Grzelcyk didn’t participate in any more games during the previous postseason before agreeing to a one-year contract in free agency on July 1 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. A few years ago, the Bruins faced a similar situation with Torey Krug. The smaller D-man was being offered a long, big-money contract by the St. Louis Blues, and the Bruins decided not to match it. A few years later, the Blues were looking to trade that Krug contract.
While it is true that the Bruins haven’t been able to replicate Krug’s explosive offensive on their power play since he left for St. Louis, there have also been previous postseason instances in which Krug was thoroughly outplayed defensively.
They are now definitely deeper, stronger, heavier, and meaner thanks to the Zadorov trade. McAvoy, Lindholm, Carlo, and Zadorov are all deserving of a spot in the top four, and Lohrei is pressing for one as he prepares for what should be his first NHL season.
“I believe that our hockey team’s strength lies in the depth of our defense, so I wanted to keep making sure we have those essential pieces in place. I believe that collectively, we can extract a little more outrage from it,” Sweeney remarked. Thus, from one year to the next, if you’re going to let Charlie and Hampus return to, hopefully, the level he’s capable of. As I mentioned previously, I believe that depth is necessary to enable Mason Lohrei to keep developing and leave his mark on the game.
“I believe having a player who can step in and contribute, like Zadorov. You’re actually examining our back end lineup right now. Really, any guy can play for twenty minutes. Hopefully, by dividing up the ice period, we can leave it more equitably.
It makes sense that more people are paying attention to Elias Lindholm’s free agency signing than to his potential influence on the Bruins; after all, they have needs at the center position. However, the extent to which the Black and Gold will benefit from having a large, strong, and terrifying opponent like Zadorov on the back end is being much underestimated. This is especially true throughout the regular season and, more crucially, during the Stanley Cup playoffs, where size becomes an even more significant factor.
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