Nikita Zadorov breaks silence on trade request out of Calgary Flames

By Srihari Anand

Modified Dec 03, 2023 18:19 GMT

Nikita Zadorov pulled a shocker as the former Flames defenceman demanded a trade out of Calgary via his agent Dan Milstein on Nov. 10.

Zadorov was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 1. The Flames received a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick in exchange.

Ahead of his Canucks debut against former team Flames, the Russian defenseman explained his decision to request a trade out of Calgary. Insider Eric Francis reported:

"Asked what changed between his post season declaration he’d like to be a Flame for life, and his trade request, Nikita Zadorov was forthcoming: 'I haven’t got a contract offer.' Did he wish his trade request was handled privately? 'No, I’m happy where I’m at right now.'

The defenseman was in the final year of his two-year/$7,500,000 contract with the Flames.

Zadorov had even named the Toronto Maple Leafs as one of his favored destinations, per insider Chris Johnston. Last week, reports surfaced that the Leafs had attempted to land Flames defensemen Chris Tanev and Nikita Zadorov, but the two teams could not reach an agreement.

Zadorov was part of four of the Flames stars that the team had openly made available for trades. Defensemen Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin, linked to the San Jose Sharks, and forward Elias Lindholm are still on the trade market and are expected to be traded out of Calgary soon.

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Nikita Zadorov's emotional debut against former team

Zadorov played his first game for his new team, the Canucks, against his old team. Vancouver came out on top in a 4-3 win, with Zadorov chipping in with an assist.

Post-game, the Canucks' latest addition to their blue line talked about his thoughts before and post tonight's game against the Flames.

"Mixed emotions. Lotta good emotions in this club (Flames)," Zadorov said. "Graceful, thankful to be here, to get a chance to play in this beautiful city for those beautiful fans. I just wanna say thank you. Hopefully, not too many pissed at me. I heard a couple boos today, but I still love the Calgary Flames. They're really good."

Zadorov's ex-Flames did not make it very easy for their newest rival. Per Sportsnet's Ian MacIntyre, Zadorov described his interaction with former teammates:

“They were chirping me. It's fun. It's between us. I love them. They love me. It's a mutual relationship. I had fun playing against them today."

Nikita Zadorov's agent Dan Milstein addressed his client's probability of signing an extension with the Vancouver Canucks. Per Rick Dhaliwal, Milstein said:

"We will talk at some point, they have my number. We will sit down and exchange thoughts, hopefully there is a deal."