Former 6th overall pick placed on waivers; reclamation project?
The Detroit Red Wings have announced that they have placed forward Filip Zadina on waivers earlier today. The former 6th overall pick has not panned out the way many had hoped and this was a move that was a long time coming.
Zadina has 2 years remaining at a cap hit of 1.825 million and has been a trade piece for the Wings for a few seasons. Many had Zadina pegged as a top-3 pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and at worst he would slide to 4.
However he ended up going 6th to Detroit and he said he was going to use that as a motivation tool to prove to those that didn't draft him that they had made a mistake. Rasmus Dahlin went 1st, Andrei Svechnikov went 2nd, Jesperi Kotkaniemi went 3rd, Brady Tkachuk went 4th, and Barrett Hayton went 5th.
In 190 games across 5 NHL seasons, Zadina has scored 28 goals and 68 points with his career-high being 10 goals and 24 points in 74 games in 2021-22. At the AHL-level he has fared better with 26 goals and 52 points 82 games.
Zadina scored 44 goals and 82 points in 57 games during his draft year and then went straight to the AHL in 2018-19, where he scored 16 goals and 35 points in 59 games before a quick stint with the Red Wings. 2019-20 was another good year where he split time with both the Red Wings and Grand Rapid Griffins with a combined 17 goals and 31 points in 49 games. However things changed after the COVID-interrupted season as he has scored 19 goals and 50 points in 153 games since.
Zadina is a very skilled forward and needed a change of scenery with his time in Detroit all but over. He was used sparingly, played a lot of bottom-6 minutes, and both parties needed an amicable split. He shouldn't last too long before he's claimed as he's only 23-years-old, has the skill and size to compete, and his contract is very friendly cap wise and carries term.
