Nikita Zadorov feel Bruins' "great President, great general manager" will make Boston prime target for free agents

Nikita Zadorov had a solid first season with the Boston Bruins. He played 81 games and scored 22 points, matching his career high from 2021-22 season.

He finished with four goals, 18 assists and a +25 rating, also a career best. Zadorov also had 145 penalty minutes and averaged over 20 minutes per game. His physical play and steady defense were important for Boston.

The Bruins, though, failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015–16. They traded key players like Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle and Brandon Carlo. That led to talks about a rebuild, but Zadorov believes the team isn't far from winning again.

On Thursday, Nikita Zadorov was asked about free agents joining the team in the summer. Responding to that, Zadorov made a bold statement about the organization.

"Why would they not want to come here? It's an original six team. It's a great city to play in," Zadorov said.

"We have one of the best players in the world, one of the best goalies in the world. We have two really good defensemen who were out pretty much the whole year. We have all the pieces for the future; we just need to add up."

Nikita Zadorov signed a six-year, $30 million contract last July. He said that he joined Boston for its culture, leadership and consistency. He still believes in those values.

"It's a great organization, great management, great leadership up top. We have a great president, great general manager," Zadorov said.

"They’re willing to do anything to win, and that was a clear message today. It’s going to be an exciting summer, and it's going to be exciting for us to see our new teammates, whoever is going to come and join us."

Zadorov is excited for the summer and expects the Bruins to add new players. Last summer, they brought in Elias Lindholm and Joonas Korpisalo.

Even teammate David Pastrnak mentioned that the winning culture is still there. He mentioned that the team will be enticing for free agents.

"No, that's not my job. I am — obviously Boston itself should be enough for you to try to come play here," Pastrnak said. (19:37)

"The fans and the culture that's been here — just because we had a tough year doesn't mean it's not going to be back. Like I said, it's going to be much better."

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Nikita Zadorov's statement after joining the Bruins

After signing his contract last year, Nikita Zadorov was happy about joining the organization. He had expressed his intentions to win the Stanley Cup.

"When you talk around the League, you always hear good things about Boston," Zadorov said in July (via NHL.com).

"Their culture inside the room, inside the organization. It's always 'win or nothing.' To put myself in the best position to win the Stanley Cup, that was the main reason I signed there."

Sadly, it didn't come true this season. But with David Pastrnak and other players still in the lineup, we can hope for positive change in the upcoming seasons.