A look at 4 former Red Wings that are struggling so far in 2023
By Bob Heyrman
Filip Zadina is another former Detroit Red Wings forward off to a slow start
Following last season, Filip Zadina requested his release from the Detroit Red Wings, which general manager Steve Yzerman happily granted. He would quickly sign a one-year deal with the Sharks for $1.1 million, less money than he would have made with the Red Wings. It seems Zadina saw the writing on the wall after Yzerman’s busy off-season and knew he’d need to play his way on the roster, beating out some veteran additions.
Zadina, 23, had been a first-round pick of the Red Wings, sixth overall from the 2018 NHL Entry Level Draft that just couldn’t seem to garner any momentum at the NHL level. He will long be remembered in Detroit circles as the guy who famously stated that he would fill Montreal’s net for passing on him in the draft after he had been projected as the third pick yet fell to six. The problem? He hasn’t filled any net, let alone Montreal’s, and now, since signing with the San Jose Sharks, his team’s net is the one being filled.
Through 12 games with the Sharks, Zadina has recorded two goals and is a minus-14. His Corsi For Percentage comes in at an atrocious 36.5%, and he’s averaging just over 14 minutes per night on that awful team. If Zadina can’t find consistent second or third-line minutes on a one-win Sharks team, where will he?
I will close by admitting that when the Detroit Red Wings drafted Zadina, I considered going streaking (I am joking), but I was so excited. He seemed like the type of player the Detroit Red Wings long lacked, a 40-plus goal scorer; hindsight is 20/20, he may not score 40 goals in his career. While that’s a stretch, as he currently sits at 30, the point is he isn’t anywhere near the player he was expected to become. It’s a shame. He seems like a good kid and is still young enough to put it all together, but he may be the next Evgeny Svechnikov. Ironically, Svechnikov also landed in San Jose, looking to rejuvenate his career. After scoring just eight goals and 14 points over 59 games last season, he returned to Russia to play in the KHL this season.