The Detroit Red Wings drafted forward Filip Zadina with the 6th overall selection in the 2018 NHL Draft in what many analysts and fans saw as a steal. Zadina himself, who was expecting to be taken by either the Ottawa Senators or Montreal Canadiens, promised to make them regret not drafting him by promising to “fill their net with pucks”.
However, things haven’t exactly gone according to plan for Zadina with the Red Wings since making his debut during the 2018-19 NHL season. In a total of 74 games played during the 2021-22 season in which he was expected to shoulder a higher load of the offensive attack, Zadina managed only 10 goals with 14 assists. Certainly not the kind of production that the team expected from Zadina, especially given the fact that forward Jakub Vrana was absent for the first three months of the campaign recovering from surgery.
However, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has seen fit to keep Filip Zadina around in the Motor City, and the two sides have officially extended their relationship. Detroit has inked Zadina to a three year contract extension that carries an AAV of $1.8125 million.
UPDATE: The #RedWings today signed forward Filip Zadina to a three-year contract. pic.twitter.com/APrLPGoHhc
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) August 26, 2022
http://gty.im/1392155907
Zadina will now have ample opportunity to show that he was worth being taken with such a high draft selection.
Filip Zadina has been extended for 3 seasons
Last season, Zadina earned himself a healthy scratch from former head coach Jeff Blashill, which didn’t sit well with him.
“I was disappointed for sure and I was pissed,” Zadina explained. “But I feel better than I felt a week ago when we played those games. I’m excited to be back and get things going again.”
Zadina has tallied a total of 25 goals and 36 assists in 160 career games, all with Detroit. However, he’ll also certainly want to fix his less than ideal -46 plus/minus rating.
