Earlier this week, it was noted here that Sweeney had resumed his pursuit of a defenseman in the NHL trade market. Given the Bruins' recent defensive struggles, particularly in physicality on the blue line, defending against rushes over the past ten games, and the number of goals conceded in their last five games, speculation arose that Sweeney might have revisited the idea of acquiring 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
However, if Sweeney was indeed pursuing Zadorov, his efforts seemed futile as on Thursday night, the Flames traded the 29-year-old, a potential unrestricted free agent in 2024, to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round draft pick and a 2026 third-round pick.
Earlier during the day, Pierre LeBrun, an NHL insider for TSN and The Athletic, validated previous reports from this month regarding Flames defenseman Noah Hanifin. The reports indicated that Hanifin, who is a pending unrestricted free agent (UFA), had chosen to suspend discussions about a contract extension with the Flames.
