"Can tell Swayman is despised by his teammates": NHL fans react to Nikita Zadorov's blunt comment on Jeremy Swayman's near-fight with opposing goalie

NHL fans on social media reacted to Nikita Zadorov's blunt response about goalie Jeremy Swayman's near-fight with his opposing goaltender.

On Sunday, Swayman challenged and nearly fought the Kings' Darcy Kuemper after he had grabbed Bruins forward Marat Khusnutdinov and yanked his helmet off with force.

In response to Kuemper's actions, Swayman entered the center ice and challenged Kuemper to a goalie fight. The two were prepared to drop their gloves, but the referees intervened to prevent them from doing so.

When asked whether Jeremy Swayman stood up for his teammate, Khusnutdinov, Zadorov gave a straightforward answer:

"It is what it is?" No comment."

Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Zadorov's statement. One tweeted.

"Can tell Swayman is despised by his teammates. Came across as an arrogant douche on the Amazon series, so no shock there."

Another chimed in:

"I really can't tell if he was joking or actually throwing shade."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"Everyone pissed at zadorov when swayman is the real problem. Held out for a big contract, got it, then sucks the entire season and tries to fight other goalies when he should be worried about stopping pucks. Getting paid over 8m to be one of the worst goalies in the league," a third fan posed."

"Swayman and Zadorov need to both answer this again when asked and not decline it or avoid media," one X user tweeted.

"Nice attitude after letting your goaltender get lit up for 7 fu**ing goals," another chimed in.

"The arrogance from a man who absolutely reeks at the game of puck just …. Just doesn’t sit well with me," one said.

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Jeremy Swayman explains why he challenged Darcy Kuemper to a goalie fight

Following the Boston Bruins' 7-2 defeat to the LA Kings on Sunday, Jeremy Swayman explained why he had challenged Darcy Kuemper to a goalie fight.

Swayman said that he was unimpressed with Kuepmer's behavior toward his teammate and that he wouldn't tolerate it:

"He touched one of my guys, and that's something I'm not going to accept. Kudos to him — he stepped up. It just got broken up," said Swayman post-game.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Swayman and the Bruins are seventh in the Atlantic Division following their sixth consecutive defeat and are six points off a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.