Canucks defenseman to have hearing for illegal hit to the head

Nikita Zadorov.

Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorov will have a hearing this evening for an illegal hit to the head on Detroit Red Wings winger Lucas Raymond. The hit came halfway through Vancouver’s Saturday loss to Detroit and earned Zadorov a match penalty.

The 28-year-old hasn’t faced punishment from the department of player safety in his career up to this point. He’s scored four points, all assists, through 27 games with the Canucks this season. He’s also played in 21 games and scored six points with the Calgary Flames

Zadorov is on pace to break his career-high in penalty minutes this season, now up to 83– just 20 short of the career-high he set in 2017-18. His attendance in the box has become routine, with Zadorov’s 180 penalty minutes ranking higher than any other Flames player, including Milan Lucic and Andrew Mangiapane, over his three seasons with the team.

The Canucks traded for Zadorov in late November, sending Calgary a third and fifth pick. He’s stepped into a second-pairing role with his new club, playing primarily with Tyler Myers.

Calgary and Vancouver have since swapped forwards Elias Lindholm and Andrei Kuzmenko, with Vancouver adding a first-round pick, a conditional fourth-round pick, and two prospects. Lindholm has scored two goals in his first three games in Vancouver, playing on the team’s top line.

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