Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that the Red Wings are going to place Filip Zadina on unconditional waivers tomorrow, for the purpose of voiding his contract, and the Free Press’s Helene St. James explains why this is a shocking development:
Zadina, the No. 6 pick in 2018, has 28 goals and 40 assists in 190 career games. The 23-year-old has been unable to show he belongs in the lineup, and has been a healthy scratch at times. A couple weeks ago he asked for a “fresh start,” and when the Wings found no trading partners, they made him available on waivers.
General manager Steve Yzerman addressed the Zadina situation Monday. “Am I thrilled? Am I happy to put him on waivers? No. I signed him to a three-year contract a year ago because I believed he was going to grow. And when he signed that contract, my expectation was that he wanted to grow with us.”
Zadina’s contract runs through 2024-25 and has $4.56 million left in salary. Putting a player on waivers for the purpose of terminating the contract is different than buying out a player: There would be no penalty to the Wings – and no payday from the Wings for Zadina.
Friedman wrote that “the belief is Zadina is prepared to walk away from the money and not contest the move.”
