Colorado Avalanche D-Man Nikita Zadorov Annihilates Barbashev

Colorado Avalanche defenseman Nikita Zadorov sends a St. Louis Blues player flying with a big body check during a late-season game.

The Colorado Avalanche employ one of the biggest hitters in the NHL, defenseman Nikita Zadorov. In fact, he easily led all Avs players in hits with 225. a number that was big enough to qualify him for top-15 in the entire NHL.

At 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, Zadorov is also coming in like a freight train. Here in Avs Nation, we like to call him Big Z. That really irritates Boston Bruins fans because they have Zdeno Chara — his 6-foot-9 frame is a little freakishly tall. Of course, we Avs fans will just call Nikita Big Z anyway because why not.

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Personally, I like to call Zadorov Big Z the Destroyer. And it’s just because of the following hit that I’ve christened him thus.

When Zadorov hits a guy, that player feels it. Such was the case when Big Z the Destroyer sent fellow countryman Ivan Barbashev.

The annihilation happened during the April 1 game against the St. Louis Blues. Colorado was still hunting for a playoff spot, so every point counted. At the time of the hit, late in the third period, Colorado was down by one goal.

In other words, they needed to make something happen, and they needed it to happen fast. However, the play was in their own end. In fact, Barbashev was in possession and driving toward the net.

Unwisely, it turns out, driving the net. Some pundits like to say big hits aren’t ideal because they don’t automatically regain possession. However, this one did.

Let’s look:

That was a good, clean hit that just happened to send Barbashev into next week. What’s more, the puck bounced off the courner and rolled right in front of Nathan MacKinnon. Our superstar easily regained possession.

Now, Nikita Zadorov often gets a lot of knocks for such plays. Unfortunately, they sometimes turn into penalties, and that can naturally be costly for the Colorado Avalanche. Likewise, sports writers sometimes accuse him of getting out of position to make such hits.

Well, none of that is the case with the clean body check of Ivan Barbashev. Big Z (the Destroyer) took the opponent cleanly out of the play and allowed his own team to regain possession. Colorado went on to tie the game, earning a much-needed point, though they ultimately lost in the shootout.

Meanwhile, in the summer, Nikita is spending his leisure time trolling the Colorado Avalanche’s Twitter account (thread):

Also, my favorite:

It all started when Zadorov kept winning the social media polls, so the PR department started to omit him… Ah, well, it’s summer.

Our Big Z the Destroyer is a precious resource. To my mind, he offers a valuable service for the Colorado Avalanche.