Vancouver Canucks need to steer clear of Nikita Zadorov

The Vancouver Canucks need to improve their defensive efforts, and soon. Following Thursday's slate of NHL action, they are only ranked 22nd in the league for lowest average goals allowed per game, at 3.22.

With a team save percentage of .889, the Canucks are tied for the seventh-poorest in the NHL. However, this situation will not be helped -- at least in theory -- until Thatcher Demko finally returns, which is apparently imminent.

As such, it's a case of looking to improve the blue line, with the second pairing of Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers in particular looking poor. This is most damning in their combined -8 rating when on the ice in five-on-five situations, having allowed 13 goals compared to the Canucks only scoring five.

The question is, who can the Canucks look to, in order to resolve the team's defensive issues? Well, it turns out that one potential solution involves taking a trip down memory lane, albeit only back to last season.

The Canucks should bring back who?!?!

Consider some very intriguing comments from Sportsnet's NHL insider Elliotte Friedman on Thursday, in the latest edition of his popular 32 Thoughts column. He said:

"Weird idea that may only make sense to me: Nikita Zadorov back to Vancouver. No idea if even possible, or if anyone would want it, but he was a good fit and the Canucks miss him."

The Boston Bruins have struggled this season, resulting in Jim Montgomery being fired as head coach on Tuesday. In respect of Zadorov specifically, the implication from Friedman seems to be that the team is already willing to listen to offers just two months into his first season in Boston.

Now there's no denying that Zadorov helped the Canucks last season, albeit we would argue he only really played to his full potential during the playoffs. As a pending free agent at that time, he knew he needed to put on a good showing to maximise his potential earnings in his next deal.

This certainly worked, as Zadorov subsequently signed a six-year, $30 million contract with the Bruins essentially as soon as free agency began. We stated our belief at the time that this was too much for the defenceman, and he has failed to live up to his hefty deal through 21 games in the 2024-25 regular season.

With Zadorov failing to settle in (so far), this has contributed towards Friedman theorising a reunion with the Canucks could work out well for both sides. Certainly we value the NHL insider's idea, with him being one of the most respected and well-connected journalists in the hockey media world.

It's just not worth it on any level

Having said that, it is our humble opinion that Patrik Allvin and the Canucks need to steer clear of Zadorov. There's just too much baggage when it comes to the 2013 16th overall draft pick.

As already mentioned, Zadorov's contract is too expensive for the Canucks to take on board. They had previously (eventually) agreed to his annual demand while the two sides were negotiating a potential extension, but baulked at how many years he wanted.

Why would the Canucks suddenly change their mind and be willing to take on Zadorov's deal? The point is, the Bruins could even offer to retain part of the financial aspect of his contract, but the six years would still be too long for a player who is 29 and only in his first season of said contract.

Secondly, we're looking at a player who appears to be on the downside of his productivity as an NHL player, As noted, he's struggling this season, and only really showed what he was capable of during last season's playoffs, following a so-so 2023-24 regular campaign.

Finally, you can't dismiss comments made by Zadorov, in the aftermath of the failed negotiations with the Canucks. He claimed the organisation had disrespected him during contract talks although, as we wrote last month, this claim was a bit hypocritical given how he had conducted himself throughout the process.

Now we appreciate that they may be fans out there who believe we are being too stubborn in our stance, and that Zadorov might just be able to help the Canucks. However, even if you leave aside or dismiss any potential bad blood from either or both sides, he's just too much of long-term liability and risk to bring back into the fold.

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