The Bruins had a new player with an “A” on his jersey on Friday night.
With Charlie McAvoy sidelined indefinitely after facial surgery, Nikita Zadorov joined the Bruins’ captain group for the first time at Anaheim on Wednesday and wore the ‘A’ again in Friday’s 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
Zadorov, who has been a willing leader, especially to younger teammates, received the honor for the first time in his NHL career.
Zadorov played 26 minutes, 19 seconds in Friday’s win.
The Bruins have famously chosen not to name a captain this season after trading Brad Marchand last year. They’ve used three alternates, David Pastrnak, McAvoy, who had each worn an ‘A’ before the Marchand trade, and added Hampus Lindholm to the mix to open the season.
Among healthy players, Zadorov was selected over Sean Kuraly, a veteran, who returned to the Bruins this offseason. He was an alternate captain in Columbus. Elias Lindholm, who wore an ‘A’ in Calgary, might have been considered too if he was healthy.
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