Canucks Nikita Zadorov Says League 'Protecting Its Investment' After Teammate's Suspension

I don't know what it is, but for whatever reason, anytime someone sticks a microphone in Vancouver Canucks defenseman Nikita Zadorovs face, he starts dropping lines like he's standing in the middle of the ring cutting a WWE promo.

It started ahead of Game 3 in the Canucks series against the Edmonton Oilers when Zadorov talked about how great and supportive Oilers fans were…

…but that was because there was nothing else to do in Edmonton.

I don't know if he meant to fire that ricochet shot or not, and while it may have led to some good-natured boos from the Oilers faithful, what happened in Game 3 and his comments afterward will get him some angry boos.

At the end of Game 3, Zadorov and his defense partner Carson Soucy tag-team cross-checked Oilers captain Connor McDavid, with Soucy clobbering him right in the chops.

Obviously, the cross-checks were cross-checks, but it was a bit of a freak thing. The way McDavid moved after getting the cross-check from Zadorov put him in a bad position that led to Soucy's shot hitting tighter than it otherwise would've.

But a cross-check to the face will never go over well, and it led to Zadorov paying a fine, while Soucy earned a one-game suspension and will miss Tuesday night's Game 4.

Ahead of the game, Zardorov talked about losing Soucy and gave his thoughts on the punishment.

"(Soucy)'s a big part of the team, obviously it's a big loss for us," Zadorov said. "Unfortunately, that's the world we live in. Sometimes, social media and public views can create some hard decisions for specific people and might make questionable decisions at the end of the day. They have to protect their investment. That's my understanding of this situation.

I mean… I get that argument — that the league wants to protect McDavid; its best player — but he did get cross-checked in the mouth, dude.

I can't imagine that the fans in Edmonton will give Zadorov a warm welcome in Game 4.