BREAKING: Nikita Zadorov traded by the Calgary Flames
If you counted yourself among those who were hoping that the Maple Leafs would swing a deal for 6'6, 248-pound defenseman Nikita Zadorov, brace yourselves, folks. I have some bad news for you.
Just a few days after parting ways with winger Anthony Beauvillier, the Vancouver Canucks have officially acquired Zadorov from the Calgary Flames this evening - and the cost of acquisition was much lower than I'm sure many were expecting.
Per TSN's Chris Johnston, the Canucks paid only a 2024 5th rounder and a 2026 3rd rounder (CHI) in exchange for Zadorov, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Zadorov had requested a trade out of Calgary earlier this month and had identified the Toronto Maple Leafs as a team he'd like to move to. Unfortunately for Zadorov, he had no form of trade protection built into his contract.
The surprising part in all of this is that the Flames chose to move Zadorov to another Pacific Division team, something they had reportedly been opposed to early on in the process.
As far as the Maple Leafs go, they're extremely hard up for defensemen right now with 3 regulars out of the lineup in John Klingberg, Timothy Liljegren and Mark Giordano. Given the low cost of acquisition and the fact that Zadorov checks so many boxes for them, I'm surprised that the Leafs didn't match the offer. It must mean that they're working on something else as we speak.
| POLL | ||
NOVEMBRE 30 | 359 ANSWERS BREAKING: Nikita Zadorov traded by the Calgary Flames Did the Flames get enough for Nikita Zadorov? | ||
| Yes | 98 | 27.3 % |
| No | 261 | 72.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
