Entering the 2021-22 season, the Calgary Flames wanted to bolster their backend with some meat and potatoes. The Flames already had guys like Noah Hanifin, Rasmus Andersson, and Christopher Tanev to do all the other work. So, Brad Treliving went out and spent a little bit of cash, $5.7 million combined to be exact, and signed Erik Gudbranson to a contract as well as acquired monster 6’6″ 236-pound Russian defencemen Nikita Zadorov from the Chicago Blackhawks for a third-round pick. Zadorov then re-signed with the Flames just one week later on a one-year, $3.75 million contract. These two were perfect fits under Darryl Sutter, but it took a bit of time, and some healthy scratches for Zadorov to really break ground and find some traction in Calgary.
Nikita Zadorov early season struggles paid off in the end
