Report: Maple Leafs’ player told Nikita Zadorov he’s ‘exactly what the team needs’

Someone on the Toronto Maple Leafs must be listening to The Cars, because they told Nikita Zadorov he’s just what they needed.

Bad dad jokes aside, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on his most recent episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that during the Maple Leafs’ game vs. the Calgary Flames last Saturday, an unnamed player for Toronto told Zadorov, “you’re exactly what we need.”

The comment was reportedly made after Zadorov laid a big bodycheck on Maple Leafs’ forward Tyler Bertuzzi.

The six-foot-six defenseman would be exactly what the Maple Leafs are looking for on their blue line, with both Timothy Liljegren and Conor Timmins on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), and Zadorov able to eat minutes on a team that’s giving big minutes to Jake McCabe and John Klingberg.

Zadorov, a 2013 first round pick, would also bring more “snot” to a Maple Leaf lineup that’s desperate to add more physicality in its backend. General manager Brad Treliving, who acquired Zadorov when he was the Flames’ GM, said he wanted to add some “piss and vinegar” to the lineup when he took the Toronto job. Beyond two Ryan Reaves fights in the first two games of the season, you would be hard-pressed to say they’re a more physical team. Adding Zadorov could change that.

In 13 games this season, Zadorov has one goal and four assists for five points and 14 penalty minutes. Since joining the Flames before the 2021-22 season, Zadorov has sported one of the best even-strength corsi percentages in the game, averaging just under 60 percent with Calgary.

Across 11 NHL seasons, Zadorov has 42 goals and 89 assists for 131 points in 580 career games, averaging 18:10 of ice time. He is in the last year of a two-year, $7.5 million contract he signed ahead of the 2022-23 season.