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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterNov 30, 2023, 07:53 PM ET
CloseRyan S. Clark is an NHL reporter for ESPN.
After weeks of speculation, the Calgary Flames traded defenseman Nikita Zadorov to the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday.
The Flames received a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick in exchange for Zadorov, who will give the Canucks another top-four defenseman who offers a physical presence. Zadorov is also expected to help with a penalty kill that came into Thursday just outside the bottom 10 of the league with a 76.4 percent success rate.
Zadorov was thought to be a potential trade target after ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported earlier this month that he asked the Flames to trade him. The speculation intensified later that day after his agent, Dan Milstein, published a few posts on X. Milstein, while the Flames were playing the Maple Leafs in Toronto, posted an in-game video of Zadorov delivering a hit with the comment, “Here comes Zadorov train… get your #LeafsForever tickets today…”
Then, in response to a Flames fan asking if Calgary could resign Zadorov, a pending unrestricted free agent, Milstein wrote, “I don’t think so. Not when the best D barely gets the ice time…”
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Zadorov was asked about the posts after the game and said that Milstein “definitely wants to protect me.” He shared how he enjoyed playing for the Flames while also noting hockey is a business. Upon being asked if he requested a trade, Zadorov said there had been discussions.
Following Thursday’s trade, Flames general manager Craig Conroy issued a statement and thanked Zadorov “for his commitment to the Flames and for his professionalism through this process.”
Conroy went on to say, “Our hockey operations group works every day to find opportunities to make our team better today and for the future.”
Getting Zadorov comes as the Canucks entered Thursday one point behind the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division. Zadorov’s…
Source link : https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/39015936/flames-trade-nikita-zadorov-canucks-two-draft-picks
Author : Ryan Clark
Publish date : 2023-12-01 00:53:05
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