The Nikita Zadorov trade saga is finally over… and it leaves a lot to be desired. The Calgary Flames announced that they have traded Zadorov to the Vancouver Canucks in enhance for a third-round pick in 2026 and a fifth-round pick in 2024. It is safe to say that is different from what many thought would happen.
Zadorov has been a depreciating asset
Based on all factors considered, the Flames did not secure enough as part of this deal. Zadorov was highly sought after on the market, with multiple teams looking into acquiring his services. The fact that this was what the team settled with says a lot.
If the team traded Zadorov in the division, then this means that this was the best deal on the table—a clear result of his publicly announced trade request followed by the immediate decreased quality of play on the ice.
Conroy speaks out about the trade
Craig Conroy had the following to say about the deal:
“First, I’d like to thank Nikita for his commitment to the Flames and his professionalism through this process. Our hockey operations group works every day to find opportunities that make our team better today and for the future. This trade provides us with important draft assets, cap space and the opportunity for another one of our young prospects to prove himself in the NHL.”
Gut reaction to the Zadorov trade
On the positive side, the Flames rid themselves of the background noise that Zadorov was causing. Additionally, they were able to clear Zadorov’s entire salary cap hit of $3.75M off of the books as they look to re-tool their roster. That full salary cap space is massive when looking to the future to make deals, as the team could take on a cap hit for an additional asset.
Additionally, the team acquired Zadorov for a third-round pick back in 2022. So they get two and a quarter seasons of Zadorov as well as an additional fifth-round pick. The deal isn’t the best, but it’s clear that they did not have the leverage that many reported. Let’s hope that the team can acquire additional assets in any future deals.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
