Nikita Zadorov Clarifies Misinterpreted Comment On Bruins Teammate
Jeremy Swayman was clear in his response when he was asked about challenging Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper to a fight in the Bruins’ blowout loss to Los Angeles on Sunday night.
“He touched one of my guys. It’s something that I’m not gonna accept,” Swayman told reporters after reporters after the loss at Crypto.com Arena. “… I don’t care who it is. It’s a guy in Black and Gold. You’re not going to touch him without getting contested. I care about every one of these guys like a brother. That’s just the way I felt, and I felt like it was my turn to step it up.”
Despite Swayman’s willingness to drop the gloves, Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov didn’t seem impressed when he spoke with reporters following the 7-2 shelling.
“Did you guys appreciate that Jeremy stuck up for Khusnutdinov?” The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa asked Zadorov.
“Is that what it is?” Zadorov replied. “Okay. I don’t know. No comment.”
Zadorov didn’t wait to be asked about his response when he met with the media following Bruins’ practice in Anaheim on Tuesday.
“You gonna ask me about Sway’s comment?” Zadorov asked Shinzawa. “You blew it up. Well, when you ask a question like this after a 7-2 loss, the players are frustrated. Obviously, at the time, I was frustrated, and whatever I said, it wasn’t towards Sway. It was just, like I didn’t expect that question from you, and sometimes, you got to understand the situation we are in and everything, you’re pissed off after the game. … Trying to find positives, there was a lot of negatives in our game, and I want it kept that way.
“Obviously, we appreciate in this room guys stepping in for each other. That’s a culture that was here before I came here, and I’m trying to follow it as the guy who steps in for teammates. … It wasn’t a comment towards Sway or anything. … Obviously, he’s a huge part of our team.”
The 6-foot-5 defenseman added that he and Swayman will be sharing the ice for a long time in Boston. Zadorov is signed through the 2029-30 season, and Swayman for an additional two.
“We’re going to be together for a long time,” he said. “Going to be a lot of success with this team and be back in playoff hockey, and hopefully win the (Stanley) Cup.”