The Colorado Avalanche have had a relatively quiet offseason. Their most significant move was re-signing forward Jonathan Drouin to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. They also added solid depth pieces in Erik Brannstrom, Calvin de Haan, and Parker Kelly.
While the Avalanche did not make any big splashes with their new additions, they did try. In fact, they attempted to bring back one of their old friends.
While speaking with RG.org’s Daria Tuboltseva, Nikita Zadorov revealed that the Avalanche were one of the clubs that targeted him in free agency. However, he opted to sign his six-year, $30 million contract with the Boston Bruins because he felt they offered him the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup and were the right fit for his family.
Zadorov, 29, was among the top free agents from this year’s class, so it would have been significant if the Avalanche landed him. He would have given them another excellent option on their left side and also would have been an obvious fit on their penalty kill because of his shutdown ability. However, a deal with the Avalanche just did not come to fruition, and now the 6-foot-6 defender should be a key part of Boston’s blueline.
Zadorov played five seasons from 2016-17 to 2019-20 with the Avalanche, posting 18 goals, 59 points, 328 penalty minutes, and 887 hits.
