It was supposed to be a make-or-break season in 2022-23 for Detroit Red Wings forward Filip Zadina. A season where he really started to show some growth and settled into the National Hockey League, proving why he was the sixth-overall draft pick.
The Detroit Red Wings have seen him play in just nine games for the team in 2022-23, and he has been on the sidelines for the rest. He has been dealing with a lower-body injury that continued to nag him and had some setbacks.
A six-to-eight-week recovery process has grown into over ten weeks and will continue as the All-Star Break is here after the Red Wings lost to the New York Islanders on Friday night. Apparently, the hope for Zadina was to get him back on the ice before the All-Star Break, but that did not happen.
With that in mind, he should be able to get the green light with a clean bill of health after the All-Star Break. If all goes well, he’ll be back on the ice for the Red Wings, which could be a welcomed sight…. for some.
Detroit Red Wings forward Filip Zadina aiming for return after All-Star Break.
His nine-game performance in 2022-23 has led to zero points while being a minus-three, averaging 13:57 in ice time. Before this season, Zadina was given a three-year, $5.475 million contract extension by General Manager (GM) Steve Yzerman.
He has played well below the standards that many have been hoping for in his first five seasons with the Red Wings. Granted, his first legitimate pro-campaigns were the last two seasons. In 2021-22, Zadina logged 74 games where he scored 10 goals and added 14 assists for 24 total points.
With Zadina in the mix to return and add to the offense in the second half, he has to be looking to get the offense flowing early. If he is not able to find the back of the net and create some offense, things could get frustrating quite fast.
Zadina could find himself buried in the bottom six if things do not start to click. As was mentioned, this season was supposed to be make-or-break from the get-go. After the injury, there is some leeway, but Zadina has to start showing the abilities the Red Wings have been hoping for.
The sniper quality has just not been there. Things could change with the Red Wings’ offense, which is much better this year than in recent years, but Zadina has to make it back for that to happen officially.
The Red Wings have been dealing with a roster crunch as it is, so keeping him on the Injured Reserve (IR) through the break buys some time and allows Zadina to get back to 100% and get the all-clear.