This is a very solid example of an article that sometimes gets “sat on” as the blogger ponders the author’s point–which does happen sometimes in a one-man blog.
The Hockey News’s Jared Clinton penned a list of “Breakout Candidates” for each and every one of the NHL’s 31 teams, and I really scratched my head wondering if 1. This was “meaty” enough to post and 2. whether he was correct in his assumption.
Clinton believes that Filip Zadina is probably going to make the Red Wings’ roster and display the promise that convinced the Red Wings to draft him 6th in 2018; I’m not sure whether Zadina is ready, and I want to hold off on my assessment until I see Zadina take part in training camp and the preseason.
Anyway, here’s what Clinton has to say about Zadina:
Detroit Red Wings:Filip Zadina is ready. He fired home 16 goals and 35 points in the AHL last season and got a nine-game look with the Red Wings, during which he scored one goal and three points. He’s a full-timer come the season, though, and a dark horse for the Calder Trophy.
Clinton continues with 30 more picks; I’m somewhere between, “I don’t know if he’s ready” and, “I don’t think that he’s ready at all,” and I got all guilty and thought, “Posting that opinion and leaving it is too flighty for one entry in late August.”
I really haven’t seen Zadina on the ice since his 10-game stint with the Wings, and I wasn’t able to follow the Griffins in any closeness due to the mom, so I’m incredibly curious to see whether Zadina’s late-season surge in GR will translate into any sort of forward momentum going over the course of the summer. He’s a tremendously talented player, but my gut says that he’ll probably need another half-a-season in the AHL before he really takes off, and that’s where I’m at–hoping to be proved wrong!
What do you think about Zadina’s NHL readiness?
George, he played 9 games in Detroit. Not 10. Not trying to nitpick but the difference between 9 and 10 has very big contract implications. You might want to edit your blog.
P.S. my draft day opinion hasn’t changed…we should have picked Hughes over Zadina.
Booo! Hughes hasn’t done anything yet! I got the 9 games right, by luck Zadina will prevail
I was at the Pepsi Center, so I’ll forever love Zadina. I couldn’t care less where he starts. I just want him playing with different players than last year in GR.