What do the Bruins have in Nikita Zadorov? His teammates give a scouting report

“He’s big, he’s mean, he doesn’t care. He’s a predator out there."

What’s one word to describe Nikita Zadorov?

Charlie Coyle recoiled at the question.

“Oh, God,” said the Bruins center. “There’s a lot of one words I think you could use for him.”

There was far from a consensus among the Bruins regulars who have shared a bench with Zadorov — or been on the receiving end of a crushing hit from the 6-foot-6-inch defenseman.

“Presence,” said Elias Lindholm, who was Zadorov’s teammate in Calgary and Vancouver.

“Brutal,” Morgan Geekie added.

“Huge,” chimed in Trent Frederic, who dropped the gloves with Zadorov in February 2023.

“Scary,” one anonymous Bruin declared. “That guy’s [expletive] scary.”

Zadorov’s reputation precedes him after 11 seasons in the NHL. Given his imposing frame and propensity for doling out punishment, the 29-year-old defenseman stands as one of the most intimidating skaters in the NHL.

“I enjoy hockey overall,” Zadorov said. “It’s obviously physical. It’s a little bit easier for a guy my size to be physical and try to close plays, intimidate players, and piss them off and all that. It’s my role and I’m embracing that.”

Zadorov’s willingness to be a battering ram was one reason the Bruins handed him a six-year, $30 million contract on the first day of free agency in July. But it’s far from the only reason.

“He’s big. He’s mean. He’s angry,” Charlie McAvoy said. “He has skill. He has all the things I think you need. You have to know when he’s on the ice. I think that’s someone you really want to have on your team.”

Zadorov may not be a player opposing coaches game plan around in the same vein as offensive stars such as David Pastrnak and Connor McDavid. But the looming dread before an on-ice meeting with Zadorov is shared in many dressing rooms.

“He was a guy that we talked about quite a bit before our game,” said Bruins forward Tyler Johnson. “Just kind of, ‘Hey, you gotta watch out for this guy. He will hit you.’

“There are times where you might be coming across the middle, kind of thinking no one’s on you, and then he’s skating in, trying to blow you up.”

Zadorov has surpassed 175 hits in six of his 11 NHL seasons, including a league-leading 278 with the Avalanche in 2017-18.

In the battle of attrition that is the Stanley Cup playoffs, having a skater capable of tenderizing opposing puck carriers and policing the middle of the ice is an asset.

“Every now and then, whether I’m scrolling on Instagram or whatever, I just see the highlights of him and his big hits,” Coyle said. “It’s come up so much lately.”

Images of Zadorov launching opponents into the stratosphere, crunching them into the glass, and trading right hooks with the likes of Pat Maroon are what comes to mind when charting the D-man’s impact.

But in his battles with Zadorov, Geekie remembers the scraps and shoves along the boards with the same apprehension as an open-ice hit.

“He’s not afraid to play a little on that edge,” said Geekie. “It felt like I was out against him every time I went on the ice. It was just no fun. His stick’s heavy, and he’s a big boy. So every time you go out there, you’re getting into a battle.”

“He’s big, he’s mean, he doesn’t care,” Brad Marchand said. “He’s a predator out there. I absolutely loved playing against him, and I hated it.”

If there was one thing agreed on in the Bruins’ dressing room, it was that a specific highlight defined Zadorov’s unique skill set.

“I think I remember him blowing some guy up — and taking the puck and going all the way down and scoring,” Brandon Carlo said.

“He has a really good shot,” Lindholm said. “What comes to mind is probably the playoffs there in [Vancouver] where he snapped a couple there going down the wall.”

Zadorov’s strength might rest in his physical play, but he’s far from a black hole in the offensive zone. While most big-bodied defensemen are seen as stay-at-home types, Zadorov can inject some offense.

“I’m not a Cale Makar — super-high IQ and high-skill offensive defenseman,” Zadorov noted. “But I know my strengths, and I also can chip in offensively.”

Zadorov has four 20-point seasons in his career, including 2022-23, when he had a career-best 14 goals with the Flames. He had four goals and 8 points over 13 playoff games with Vancouver last spring, averaging 20:09 of ice time.

On a team already featuring gifted playmaking defensemen in McAvoy and Mason Lohrei, Zadorov doesn’t need to be the primary offensive conduit from the back.

“I think he’s going to surprise you with his ability to make plays,” said Bruins coach Jim Montgomery. “I’m not just saying scoring goals, but making plays at the offensive blue line. His hockey sense and his brain are very good. It’s a lot better than people give him credit for.”

Zadorov’s mobility might be his most undervalued asset.

“Big guys that are heavy don’t usually move that well,” Lindholm said. “So he’s definitely underrated in that way, where people probably think you probably can beat him wide or take him on one-on-one. But he’s moving really well out there.”

Zadorov’s skating ability also can help limit the taxing D-zone reps for his defense partner.

“I think people see size and people just think one thing, right?” Frederic said. “I feel like I get it sometimes with fighting. If you fight a lot, you’re a goon. I know he has that physical element and the size and everything, but he brings a lot of skill.”

Zadorov’s knack for breaking the puck out with a clean first pass or carrying it into the neutral zone should make life easier for his teammates. But make no mistake, he will feel his best when he’s making life miserable for anyone not draped in a black-and-gold sweater.

“My physical game is not going to go away,” Zadorov said. “That’s why I’m in the league. That’s why people pay me money. That’s why they signed me. That’s my goal.”

That disposition should make him a fan favorite on Causeway Street.

“I’m just looking forward to going out there and seeing if they’re going to like me or not,” Zadorov said.

There may not be one word to sum up Zadorov’s game. But it won’t take long for a consensus to be reached on his reception in Boston — especially after he doles out another bone-rattling hit on the TD Garden ice.