We all knew hockey players were tough, but it’s always a nice reminder of the extent of their toughness when they disclose the injuries they played through in the playoffs.

Former Vancouver Canuck and current Boston Bruins defenceman Nikita Zadorov did just that following Friday night’s Game 6 loss to the Buffalo Sabres. A reporter referenced something Zadorov said the day before, when he indicated he was dealing with something health-wise that he would explain after the season, to which Zadorov responded:

“Yeah, I tore my MCL in Game 3; fully torn off the bone. So, I kind of played on it a little bit.”

We could not find the play in which Zadorov was hurt. However, throughout most of the series, Zadorov continued to be that physical, pain-in-the-butt type of defenceman that Canucks fans remember fondly from his time in the 2024 playoffs against the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers. While also finding a way to contribute offensively.

In Game 1, Zadorov picked up the secondary assist on Morgan Geekie’s opening goal of the series.

While that would be the only point he posted over the first three games, Zadorov brought the physicality, racking up 12 hits and 20 penalty minutes. But in Game 3, the contest in which Zadorov admits he tore his MCL, his ice time sank to just 16:32.

But that did not seem to affect Zadorov in the following game. In Game 4, Zadorov logged 19:20 minutes of ice time, three shots on goal, four hits, and a whopping 17 penalty minutes after a cross-checking penalty well after the whistle on Rasmus Dahlin.

The Russian defenceman was fined the maximum $5,000 for this act.

Zadorov’s ailment did not really affect his ice time as the series wore on. In Game 5, he logged 23:11, and in Game 6, he played 21:52. He finishes the postseason with one assist, six shots on goal, 37 penalty minutes, 19 hits, and seven blocked shots in 19:34 minutes of average ice time. Zadorov will now focus on rehab and recovery in hopes of starting the 2026-27 campaign healthy after playing through a torn MCL.