Bruins Should Consider Trading Nikita Zadorov

We’re 11 games into the season, and the Boston Bruins have had to adjust their blue line due to a lack of discipline on the ice.

This issue has been seen before with defenseman Nikita Zadorov, who led the league in penalty minutes the last two seasons with 152 in 2025-26 and 145 in 2024-25. He is a blueliner known for his punishing play, with offensive upside and the ability to contribute at both ends of the ice.

Zadorov’s lack of discipline early in 2026-27 has led to consequences, resulting in him being a healthy scratch. He and his agent, Dan Milstein, stirred the pot, as Zadorov expressed ‘disgust’ with Marco Sturm’s decision.

“Obviously, when you have 900 games in this league and 14 years, you don’t want to be in this situation and you feel disappointed, you feel disgusted about it,” Zadorov said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a business, so you’ve just got to move on.”

“I’m emotionally invested on and off the ice,” Zadorov said. “So, when I go out there, I will die for any of my teammates and this logo that’s on my chest.”

Milstein took to ‘X’ and caused some controversy, suggesting that Zadorov wouldn’t be treated as badly as he would’ve in a tougher market than Boston – Toronto.

Zadorov is in the third year of a six-year contract he signed with the Bruins on July 1, 2024. The deal pays him $5 million average annual value. Are Zadorov and his agent setting up the possibility of a trade in the future with these comments?

Should the Bruins consider a move when the trade deadline rolls around?

Zadorov Embodies the Identity of the Bruins

Zadorov has a 6-foot-7 frame, with a brash personality that bleeds onto the ice. He’s recorded 33 hits to start the season, while delivering less-than-ideal production with four points (four assists).

He’s not paid $5 million a year to put Quinn Hughes to shame, but Zadorov’s playing himself out of the lineup on a regular basis. For a team to stay in the hunt for a win night in and night out, they need Zadorov to stay out of the box and play with the snarl fans love.

But has he found a way to make himself irrelevant?

While Zadorov was a healthy scratch on Oct. 18, Jonathan Aspirot slotted in and performed as expected, as a replacement: three blocked shots, five hits, and 17:58 time on ice (TOI). He didn’t impress Sturm enough to keep Zadorov out of the lineup, and Zadorov returned against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 20.

He played a large role that night, recording 20:48 TOI, one assist, two blocked shots, and two giveaways against a Stars team that handed the Bruins a loss before returning to their winning ways the next game.

The question is, should the Bruins ignore the continued trend?

Should the Bruins Trade Zadorov?

If the Bruins were to trade Zadorov, they’d arguably lose leverage on the ice, as they’d lose the intimidation factor. But the Bruins themselves have gone through an identity shift, with Sturm changing how the team plays.

A sandpaper player such as Zadorov could be a commodity late in the season, when the postseason is around the corner. In March, what could the Bruins expect to get for the 16th overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft?

Zadorov has 814 games of experience in the NHL, recording 194 points (53 goals, 141 assists). Going by what we’ve seen in the past, when he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks from the Calgary Flames on Nov. 30, 2023, the Flames received a decent, albeit underwhelming, haul of a 5th-round pick in 2024 and a 3rd-round pick in 2026.

If the Bruins need to add more assets and open up another spot for a promotion for another prospect, or another player in a trade, they should consider it.

But general manager (GM) Don Sweeney needs to consider that the return would be late-round picks, and the addition by subtraction of gaining $5 million in cap space.