Nikita Zadorov raised eyebrows a couple of years ago by saying he’d build an NHL team around Nathan MacKinnon ahead of Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews. Asked whether he still feels the same way, he didn’t back off it at all.
Zadorov spent six seasons as MacKinnon’s teammate in Colorado before being traded in 2021, and that firsthand experience is the foundation of his argument. MacKinnon went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in 2022, beating McDavid’s Oilers in the Western Conference Final along the way, while both McDavid and Matthews are still chasing their first.
Zadorov on Nathan MacKinnon
Appearing on the Cam & Strick Podcast, Zadorov was asked if starting a team today would still mean starting it with Nathan MacKinnon.
“My team, yeah, yeah. I mean, not every player has the same opinion, but I’ve been his teammate, and I see he’s improving, and at the end of the day, he’s a Stanley Cup champion, too, so it’s worked out for him, and he’s such a big figure and dominant player,” Nikita Zadorov said.
READ MORE: Elliotte Friedman on where Connor Hellebuyck could land
He also addressed MacKinnon’s reputation for intensity, something that has occasionally drawn criticism over the years.
“I think a lot of people probably take him the wrong way, maybe a little bit harsh sometimes, and sometimes over the line, but at the end of the day, it makes you better if you’re actually focusing on winning,” Zadorov said.
Never played with McDavid
To his credit, Zadorov was upfront about the limits of the comparison, noting that he’s never shared a dressing room with Connor McDavid.
“I never played with Connor, so it’s hard for me to judge what kind of guy he is and what kind of captain,” he said. “If I were to play with both of them, and I would understand the way Connor is running the room and where he is affecting his teammates and everything, I would have both perspectives. But so far, it’s easier for me to lean that way.”
The on-ice numbers give both sides plenty to work with. McDavid won his sixth Art Ross Trophy last season with 138 points, while MacKinnon took the Rocket Richard with a league-leading 53 goals and finished with 127 points and a plus-57 rating.
READ MORE: Dominik Hasek calls for Alexander Ovechkin to be banned
