The Boston Bruins landed one of the most prized players available in the free-agent market by signing former Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov on July 1.
The Bruins inked Zadorov to a massive six-year, $30 million contract with a cap hit of $5 million per season, thus reinforcing their defense corps with a premier player.
Zadorov jumped on a Zoom call after the announcement and shared his thoughts on the transaction, including issuing a warning to his new fans out of respect for a former Boston hockey legend.
“I’m not even close to (Zdeno Chara‘s level) and I want to start with, like, in my past teams, people were calling me ‘Big Z’,” Zadorov said when asked if he molds his game after Chara’s. “Please do not ever call me ‘Big Z’ now.”
Despite Chara starting his career with the New York Islanders and then playing for the Ottawa Senators, he cemented his legacy in Boston by playing for the Bruins from 2006 through 2020.
Zadorov acknowledged he learned a lot from watching Chara. However, he believes there is no point in comparing them as he is ways away from matching his levels of play.
“I feel like I’m not even close to the half of the ‘Big Z,’” Zadorov said. “He’s unbelievable. He’s one of the best defensemen of all time.
“There’s definitely a lot to learn from him. Obviously, he was one of my role models growing up because of his size and his physical play and everything. The leader he is, I think I can learn a lot from him. That could be a good time for sure.”
Zdeno Chara Retired A Bruin at Age 45
Boston Bruins legendary defenseman Zdeno Chara, known as “Big Z,” announced his retirement in September 2022 after playing 21 seasons in the NHL and leading the Bruins to the Stanley Cup in 2011.
Chara, a hulking 6-foot-9 blueliner hailing from Slovakia, hung his skates at age 45 and spent 14 seasons in Boston sandwiched by stints with the Islanders, the Senators, the Capitals, and the Islanders once again in his final year of play.
Moreover, the defenseman won the Norris Trophy as the best NHL blueliner in 2009. He racked up 237 goals along with 523 assists for 750 total points in 1,880 regular-season and playoff games combined.
In addition, Chara also appeared in six All-Star games, five of them as a member of the Bruins.
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