FIlip Zadina has cleared waivers and remains in the Detroit Red Wings organization.
He was placed on waivers Monday in an attempt to find a new home for him, but even as general manager Steve Yzerman acquiesced to a request by Zadina, Yzerman did say he hoped Zadina would grow his game with the Wings. Now that appears to be the case, after several weeks of trying to move him went nowhere.
Yzerman explained Monday that Zadina was placed on waivers after the Wings were unable to find a trading partner in an attempt to satisfy Zadina’s request.
“A couple weeks prior to the draft, through his agent, he had asked if he could potentially go someplace else, looking for more opportunity, a fresh start,” Yzerman said. “I haven’t been able to do that.”
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Yzerman signed Zadina to a three-year, $5,475,000 contract in August 2022. Zadina was drafted by former Wings general manager Ken Holland at No. 6 in 2018, billed as a scorer who could be a potential difference-maker. But he has struggled to even become a regular, posting just 28 goals and 40 assists in 190 career games; his best outing came in 2021-22 when he posted 14 goals and 24 points in 74 games.
Zadina, 23, was supposed to get a fresh start when new head coach Derek Lalonde came in last year, but Zadina was a healthy scratch the first two games. Then came a leg injury that limited him to 30 games (three goals, four assists).