Why Signing With Bruins Was ‘No-Brainer’ For Nikita Zadorov

Elias Lindholm on Monday admitted it was an “easy decision” to sign with the Bruins in NHL free agency.

The same was true for a teammate who joined him on the move from Vancouver to Boston.

Nikita Zadorov, like Lindholm, ditched Canucks threads for a Black and Gold sweater on the day the NHL market opened. Meeting with the local media for the first time after signing, Zadorov was asked why he chose the B’s.

“Where do I start? I mean, everything,” Zadorov told reporters, per a team-provided video. “The culture in the organization. It’s a big league, we talk all the time. Everybody talks about their experience with past teams and I haven’t heard a bad thing in my 11 years about Bruins culture. It was pretty much a no-brainer when we found out the Bruins were interested. Boston was at the top of my list my whole life. It’s an unbelievable organization, Original Six team and the Bruins’ style — I’ve always loved it.”

With Zadorov in the mix, Boston is set to feature one of the league’s most intimidating defensive corps next season. The 29-year-old’s 6-foot-6 frame might give Bruins fans flashbacks of Zdeno Chara, but the humble Zadorov isn’t looking for any comparisons to the former Boston captain.

But Zadorov, like Chara before him, could be paired with Charlie McAvoy on the blue line, and that duo could be a thrilling watch for B’s fans on a nightly basis.