BOSTON –– Nikita Zadorov set the tone – and tune – for the Boston Bruins during the 2025-26 season.
The 6-foot-7, 255-pound defenseman was the team-proclaimed DJ, curating the pregame locker room vibes with his wide-ranging music taste before laying hard hits on the ice to remind opponents the B’s were not to be messed with this year.
Zadorov had the third-most hits on the Bruins with 196. The 31-year-old veteran tied his career-high in points with 22 (two goals, 20 assists) through 81 regular-season games. Zadorov also had 22 points in 2024-25 with the Bruins and 2021-22 with the Calgary Flames. He posted one assist in the first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres. Zadorov carried his warrior persona into the postseason, revealing he was playing with a torn MCL he suffered in Game 3.
The blueliner anchored the third pair for the majority of the year, and averaged the fifth-most ice time for his team at 19:35. Zadorov also took on a greater leadership role, donning the ‘A’ on a couple of occasions. In particular, he mentored countryman Marat Khusnutdinov.
One of Zadorov’s tallies this season secured a critical game for the Bruins against the Detroit Red Wings amidst a tight playoff race in the Eastern Conference. He broke into the zone and fired a wrister through traffic on the rush for the 3-2 lead at 9:42 of the third period on March 21 at Little Caesars Arena. It turned out to be the game-winning goal, as Boston beat the divisional foe 4-2; Khusnutdinov notched the empty-netter.
Whenever the Bruins needed a spark, Zadorov provided the energy, further growing into his Bruins identity in his second season with the organization.
