Blackhawks Trade Nikita Zadorov to Calgary Flames

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman has been quite busy early into the NHL offseason. On Tuesday, the Blackhawks acquired Marc-Andre Fleury and Tyler Johnson in separate trades. Bowman didn’t stop there, however, as he dealt defenseman Nikita Zadorov to the Calgary Flames for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft this morning.

The Blackhawks acquired the 26-year-old defenseman from the Avalanche in a trade last offseason that sent Brandon Saad to Colorado.

Zadorov, a former first-round pick, was a bit underwhelming this past season for Chicago. In 55 games, he posted one goal and seven assists.

With the Blackhawks recent additions of Seth and Caleb Jones, the team was running out of available spots on their blue line. Zadorov, a restricted free agent, was the odd man out.

Many criticized the Blackhawks return for Saad consisting of Zadorov and AHL defenseman Anton Lindholm a year ago. Now, a year later, Zadorov is sent packing and the Blackhawks only have a third-round pick to show for a player of Saad’s caliber.

The Blackhawks may not be done unloading defensemen either, as Bruce Garrioch of TSN reports the team is looking to move Calvin de Haan as well.