$30,000,000 Bruins D-man sends firm message ahead of 2025-26 NHL season

Boston Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov didn’t hold back regarding his thoughts about this upcoming season.

During an unofficial team skate on Tuesday, the 30-year-old Russian blueliner was quoted by Boston Hockey Now about how last season turned out. He stated:

“We didn’t get it done last year, and it’s unacceptable for this city and this club to not make the playoffs. We’re going to redeem ourselves. We got to go back out there and do our job and make the playoffs this year. That’s how we look at it.”

Zadorov, who will be entering the second year of a five-year, $30 million contract, is anxious to get back on the ice and prove that Boston has what it takes to get back to the postseason.

He added:

“You want to have a good camp. You want to get to know all the guys. We’re going to have a lot of new faces in our room again this year, so we’ll get a mojo going, get a chemistry going, and then we’ll see from there. I mean, obviously the main goal for us is to get back to the playoffs and show our fans, show the city what we can do.”

The newcomers to the team will be looking to Nikita Zadorov’s experience and leadership to guide the path back to the postseason.

The Bruins are scheduled to formally open training camp on September 17. That leaves roughly two weeks for players, including Zadorov, to get into the right mindset.

Bruins looking to get back to previous standard

The 2024-25 season was a forgettable one for the Bruins. The team went from clinging to a playoff spot early in the season to the fifth-worst record in the league. But that’s in the past now. That’s why Zadorov and teammates are looking ahead to the 2025-26 season.

Particularly, the goal is to return to the previous standard under new coach Marco Sturm. Zadorov underscored these thoughts by stating:

“This organization, it’s been setting the standards in professional sports all over this country for such a long time. There’s a standard in here, and there’s expectation from our fans. We’re just going to go out there and play from our hearts.”

Zadorov, like other key leaders such as David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, will try their best to restore the Bruins’ high standard of play and success.

The Russian blueliner concluded his thoughts by declaring:

“We got to show it on the ice. We can talk whole day in here about what we got to change, what we got to do, but we got to go out there and compete for the crest on our chests and for this team, for the city.”

The Bruins will have a tall order ahead of them. They have the two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in their division. They also have tough teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning ahead of them.

Also, up-and-coming teams like the Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators will prove challenging. But the talented core and strong supporting cast could be enough to catapult the Bruins back into the playoff conversation this upcoming season.