DobberHockey.com’s Benjamin Geherels weighs in on the draft class of 2018 today, and he offers this take on Filip Zadina’s development thus far:
6th (DET) – Filip Zadina
44 pts in 108 GP (0.41 ppg)
Verdict: Developing
Zadina hasn’t been scoring much so far but has consistently had some of the best play-driving and possession metrics on the Red Wings this year. He’s seeing power-play time and playing well as part of Detroit’s strong second line. It’s just a matter of time (say, 90 more NHL GP) until he ups his current 30-point pace into the 60s with an emphasis on syrupy sweet goals like this:
Yeah, you just knew @zadina_filip was going to finish that. pic.twitter.com/7edBPmzzTH
— NHL (@NHL) December 1, 2021
The next two seasons will be critical for Zadina’s development. At this point, his career progression looks a lot like those of Kyle Okposo and Jared McCann—guys who step up when needed but generally provide secondary scoring. But Zadina was a prolific goal scorer in junior (44 goals in 57 QMJHL GP) and likely possesses more offensive upside than those comparables.
That upside should begin to show itself partway through next season, though his points ceiling is probably lower than the Red Wings initially hoped. Taking Zadina at #6 will always be a tough selection to defend given the star power selected after him, but in Detroit’s defence most of that star power was on defence. If they were set on taking a forward, Zadina still looks like one of the more dynamic forwards available in this draft after Svechnikov.
