Nikita Zadorov benched by Bruins, return vs. Stars unclear

The Globe's Jim McBride got Zadorov talking after Monday's practice in Dallas, and the Bruins beat was paying attention.

Conor Ryan

@ConorRyan_93

Great stuff as always here from @globejimmcbride:

Boston Globe Sports@BGlobeSports

Bruins defenseman Nikita Zadorov ‘disappointed’ with being benched by coach Marco Sturm but ready to put it behind him t.co/oGiadjhGNd

Here's how it started. Friday against the Ducks, with Boston trailing 2-1, Zadorov got called for elbowing Frank Vatrano. He didn't like how Vatrano reacted, knocked him to the ice and picked up a roughing minor too. That's a double minor at the worst possible time, and Sturm decided it was the last straw.

Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, Zadorov sat as a healthy scratch. Sturm called him a 'tremendous player and leader' and then got to the point: the team has been on him for a while about his discipline, and he 'just needs to be better.' The numbers back the coach up. Zadorov leads the Bruins with 29 penalty minutes in 8 games, 2nd in the whole NHL, and Boston came into Monday leading the league with 119 PIMs as a team.

The awkward part is that the Bruins beat LA without him. Not great leverage for a guy hoping to get his spot back.

Zadorov didn't hide how he felt about it. 'Obviously, when you have 900 games in this league and 14 years, you don't want to be in this situation,' he told McBride. He also argued that his game is exactly what the team wants: 'Listen, we are Boston Bruins and we play that brand of hockey, and I'm fitting this brand really well.' Asked whether he'd be back in vs. the Stars, he went with 'I don't know. We'll see.'

Sturm isn't saying yet either. He told reporters that Monday's practice pairings mean nothing for Tuesday and that he'll sleep on it. Pavel Zacha is also up in the air. He missed the Kings game with an upper-body injury and was a full participant in Monday's practice, and his status will be decided after Tuesday's morning skate.

This is bigger than 1 game. Sturm is early in his time behind the Bruins bench, and scratching a 14-year veteran over a dumb penalty tells the whole room where the line is. If Zadorov is back Tuesday, the message landed and everybody moves on. If he sits again, that's a coach telling a top defenseman his brand of hockey is costing them games, and that conversation gets a lot louder.