Canucks defenceman Nikita Zadorov shot at the Edmonton media

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Cooper Godin
May 25, 2024 (12:26)

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The Vancouver Canucks held their season-ending media availability on Thursday and it gave the players an opportunity to reflect on the year and look ahead to the future.

For defenceman Nikita Zadorov, his future is a bit unclear given that he's an unrestricted free agent on July 1st. The Canucks would like to keep the Russian blueliner for the 2024-25 campaign and potentially beyond, but it'll come down to how much Zadorov wants and how many years he's seeking.

During his media availaiblilty, Zadorov was asked about his play during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and if he thought it would increase his value heading into free agency in just over a month. In his response to that question, Zadorov took a shot at the media in Edmonton.

""How much do you think I should make? I don't know where you get those numbers from, the trees? You've gotta stop listening to Edmonton reporters." Zadorov said.

Zadorov went on to share how thankful he was to join the Canucks through a trade in late November and that he enjoyed waking up and coming to the rink every day with this group.

"It's been great. Obviously getting traded to one of the top teams in the league, just to get a chance to play with these guys. I mean it was unbelievable, 5/6 months for me. I had fun every day. It's awesome when you can do what you love and then you also come to the rink and you're enjoying the group of guys in here. The past month it's been so much enjoyment and fun. Just great hockey and great time spent together on the road and at home. I'm proud of the guys, I'm proud of our team, what we achieved through the whole year and where we're at right now. It's been an unbelievable experience and I have nothing to complain about." Zadorov said.

Zadorov was solid during his time with the Vancouver Canucks and at the most important time of the year, he stepped up and played some of his best hockey we've seen in quite some time. Patrik Allvin and his management group will likely sit down with Zadorov and his agent in the coming days to discuss where things go from here, but it would be a smart move to bring him back on a three or four-year deal.