Detroit Red Wings Filip Zadina clears waivers again; contract terminated

It seems as if the Filip Zadina era is officially over in Detroit. The Detroit Red Wings have terminated his contract after he cleared waivers twice this week. Prior to the draft, Zadina’s camp had requested a trade from the club in hopes of a fresh start to revitalize his career.

When nothing materialized, Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman and company placed him on waivers, allowing any of the 31 other clubs to snatch him up. The thought is that his current contract, which carries a $1.8 million Average Annual Value (AAV), shied some teams away from claiming his rights. Now with a terminated contract, Zadina is an unrestricted free agent who can negotiate with any team for any term. It is hard to believe that no organization will take a shot on a former No. 6 overall draft pick if he’s willing to accept a ‘show-me-type’ short-term contract.

It was reported that Zadina would refuse to report if he were assigned to Detroit’s AHL affiliate, Grand Rapids Griffins, where he had a few stints in his career. Instead of waiting a few months for him officially breach his contract, Steve Yzerman chose to cut ties with the 23-year-old forward and terminate the agreement with no contest from Zadina himself.

Now, former Detroit Red Wings forward Filip Zadina oddly bets on himself.

It is an interesting move for the former Red Wing to make, turning down the remaining years on his contract to bet on himself with a new team where he is sure to make less money than he would have this coming season, whether it has been Detroit or Grand Rapids.

Could this be management doing Zadina a favor and giving him what he asked for? Or, could this be part of a plan to clear more cap space to make room for Alex Debrincat in the looming trade speculation that seems to be never-ending? I would imagine that the next few days should clear up any mystery that is left on that front. Detroit currently sits with just under $11 million in cap space.

Zadina totaled 28 goals and 68 points while skating to a minus-51 rating over 190 NHL games with the Detroit Red Wings. This past season he totaled three goals and seven points through 30 games.