After not landing their longtime target, the Boston Bruins responded in a great way this offseason.
After not landing their longtime target, the Boston Bruins responded in a great way this offseason.
It is no secret that the Boston Bruins wanted defenseman Noah Hanifin on their roster for a long time. Their interest in the left-shot defenseman was there from the beginning, as they tried to move up in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft to select the Norwood, Massachusetts native but were unsuccessful.
The Bruins' interest in Hanifin carried over to this past season, as they were one of the clubs linked to him when the Calgary Flames shopped him. However, the Vegas Golden Knights won the sweepstakes and then quickly signed him to an eight-year, $58.8 million contract extension. This ended the hope that the Bruins would bring in the hometown kid.
While the Bruins did not get their former top blueline target, they responded well this offseason. They signed Hanifin's former Flames teammate Nikita Zadorov to a six-year, $30 million contract. While Zadorov is not as big of an offensive threat as Hanifin, he still should give the Bruins' left side a significant boost.
It is no secret that the Bruins have been missing a big, hard-nosed defenseman on their blueline, and Zadorov now gives them that. In addition, the 29-year-old has the potential to be a strong fit in the Bruins' top four and will instantly become one of their most essential penalty-killers.
Furthermore, with fellow left-shot defender Mason Lohrei having the tools to become an impactful offensive defenseman, bringing in a more defensively-minded defender like Zadorov may benefit the Bruins more in the long run.
Nevertheless, while it would have been great if the Bruins landed Hanifin, they have gotten more than just a consolation prize in Zadorov. It will be fascinating to see how much of an impact he makes from here.
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