Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm decided to send a message of tough love to bruising defenseman Nikita Zadorov when he designated him as a healthy scratch for their recent outing, a 4-1 victory on the road over the struggling Los Angeles Kings.
Zadorov had been whistled for a penalty in their previous game against the Anaheim Ducks, and was then hit with another penalty immediately afterward.
In response to Zadorov spending too much time in the box, Sturm made him a healthy scratch for their contest against the Kings. And now, Zadorov is reacting to the roster move.
Boston Bruins Defenseman Nikita Zadorov Responds To Being Made A Healthy Scratch
Zadorov responded to being made a healthy scratch by saying that it’s because of his emotional investment that his actions can sometimes get the better of him.
“Obviously, when you have 900 games in this league and 14 years, you don’t want to be in this situation and you feel disappointed, you feel disgusted about it,” Zadorov said. “But at the end of the day, it’s a business, so you’ve just got to move on.”
“I’m emotionally invested on and off the ice,” Zadorov said. “So, when I go out there, I will die for any of my teammates and this logo that’s on my chest.”
Sturm made it clear that he considers Zadorov to be “a tremendous player and leader” for the club, but that his on-ice discipline needs to improve.
“[Zadorov] is a tremendous player and leader for our team, but I think we’ve been mentioning it for a while, his discipline on the ice, he just needs to be better,” Sturm said ahead of Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Kings. “He was not happy, but he’s a great human being and he’s a competitor and I do believe he’ll become stronger after this message and he will be back to normal and even better after that.”
“The discipline part, he just needs to be smarter and that’s all it is,” Sturm said.
Zadorov Is In His Third Year With The Bruins
Zadorov signed a six-year, $30 million deal with the Bruins in July 2024 after leaving Vancouver, and found himself carrying a much larger role as injuries sidelined Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Carlo was traded.
Zadorov finished the season with four goals and 18 assists, matching his career high with 22 points, while leading the NHL in penalty minutes for a second straight season.
In 2025-26, Zadorov skated in 81 games, scoring twice while adding a career-high 20 assists, along with once again leading the NHL with 152 penalty minutes.
Bruins Nikita Zadorov Felt “Disgusted” By Being Scratched