Detroit Red Wings should be shopping Filip Zadina pre-draft

The Detroit Red Wings are preparing to get into NHL Draft season, and with that comes trade season. The off-season is full of player movement, and General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman is not scared of player movement and doing what he needs to improve the roster.

One of the things that the Detroit Red Wings should be doing ahead of the draft is shopping forward Filip Zadina. Nothing against the forward, who has shown some upside at times, but he has struggled to find that sort of consistency the Red Wings will need.

Zadina’s a former first-round sixth-overall draft pick from the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He’s never really found his way into the top six as the sniper/scorer he was expected to be. On top of that, injuries have not made anything easy for the 23-year-old Czech native.

It might be time for Zadina to be dealt with; after all, a new home might do him well. He could settle in with a new organization and find his way. But it might be time for the Red Wings to shop him around and see if anyone is interested in bringing him in.

Detroit Red Wings should have Filip Zadina on the trade block.

Zadina is coming off a 2022-23 season where he scored three goals and added four assists for seven total points on the season over 30 games played. In 190 games played over five seasons in a Red Wings uniform, Zadina has just 28 goals and 40 assists for 68 total points.

This is certainly not what the Red Wings were hoping for. Given that the Red Wings have reportedly been engaged in trade talks with several teams, feeling things out. They have been named suitors for several players; it might be worth throwing Zadina’s name around.

Especially with the draft capital that Yzerman has and his consistency in stacking future draft capital, it could be wise for him to free up a roster spot, moving Zadina in an attempt to move up the draft board or to re-coup some future draft capital.

The point is that Zadina should be used as a trade chip, especially if something is in the works pre-draft. Yzerman has given Zadina time to figure it out, and it seemingly has never been able to materialize on a consistent basis.

Yzerman is trying to put this team over the edge and get them back into an era of competition, and the Red Wings moving Zadina could allow them to do several things. It would free up a roster spot on the active roster and will enable them to either upgrade somewhere, move up in the draft, or possibly re-coup future draft picks to select prospects or use those as future trade chips.

Zadina’s had his chances, and the Red Wings may need to move on from their former first-round pick.