The Washington Capitals are looking to make it back to the playoffs following a lackluster season that kept them out of the postseason for the first time since 2013-14. They have made some strong moves by bringing in Max Pacioretty and Matthew Phillips up front out of free agency and re-signing Martin Fehervary for three more years. The Caps look quite strong going into the 2023-24 season, but they could take on another low-risk, high-reward forward that is in search of a new home.
Related: Meet the New Capitals: Matthew Phillips
Filip Zadina has struggled with the Detroit Red Wings since being drafted and hasn’t been able to find himself a full-time gig in the NHL. Now, the Red Wings have placed Zadina on unconditional waivers in order to terminate his contract according to reports. When that happens, the Capitals should give him a fresh start.
Zadina’s Career So Far
Zadina, who is 23 years old, was drafted in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the Red Wings at sixth overall. He was coming off of a really strong season with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) where he scored 44 goals and added 38 assists for 82 points through 57 games. He finished that season first in goals, tied for third in assists, and second for points on his team.
‘Zadina is a pure and talented goal scorer. He has a very heavy wrist shot, with a good release. He can combine this with his skating and power game to be a real threat off of the wing. An absolute sniper, he can score with his wrist shot, snapshot, slap shot and one-timer”
– Ben Kerr with Last Word On Hockey (Filip Zadina Scouting Report – 2018)
Zadina was one of the highest-rated prospects going into the 2018 Draft and rightfully so. Some were even surprised he was still on the board for the Red Wings at sixth overall, but they got him there.
He played his first year after being drafted in the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Grand Rapids Griffins where he scored 16 goals and added 19 assists for 35 points through 59 games. He also earned the opportunity to play nine games with the Red Wings, scoring one goal and adding two assists for three points.
The 2019-20 season for Zadina was split between the Griffins and Red Wings. With the Griffins, he scored nine goals and added seven assists for 16 points through 21 games. With the Red Wings, he scored eight goals and added seven assists for 15 points through 28 games which isn’t terrible for his first real professional hockey season in the NHL.
Related: Capitals Re-Sign Martin Fehervary to 3-Year Deal
It was the 2020-21 season that seemed to have a massive impact on Zadina’s career. He played 49 games with the Red Wings scoring six goals and adding 13 assists for 19 points after he was loaned to HC Ocelari Trinec in Czechia where he could continue developing during the COVID-19 pandemic. During his time overseas, he scored eight goals and added six assists for 14 points through 17 games.
The 2021-22 season was where things seemed to turn around a bit for Zadina, but he still wasn’t making the jump many had expected him to. He scored 10 goals and added 14 assists for 24 points through 74 games, but again still had some holes in his game that were evident. Combined with the Red Wings’ strength on the wings, he didn’t get as much ice time as I’m sure he would’ve liked.
Last season, Zadina played 30 games in the NHL and only scored three goals and added four assists for seven points. He also played two games in the AHL and scored one goal.
Zadina’s Fit With The Capitals
Zadina can play either wing and while the Capitals have a really strong forward group, he could find himself earning a spot in the lineup over Nicolas Aube-Kubel or Aliaksei Protas at the start of the season. With the offensive numbers that he had during his junior career, he could also get some time on the power play.
The Capitals are also looking to move on from Anthony Mantha, so I can see them using Zadina as a replacement on the third line. They have one of the deepest top-nine forward groups in the NHL going into the 2023-24 season, and giving Zadina the chance to play alongside them would give him the opportunity he’s been looking for.
While he’ll still have to work on his finishing and his defensive game, he would be given the opportunity to play in a role where he can focus on what he does best, which is put up points. He is a skilled player who unfortunately hasn’t been able to find his game in the NHL and needs a fresh start, and the Capitals should give it to him.
They lacked scoring last season, so why not bring in a low-risk, high-reward project? He’ll probably sign for under $1 million a season, so this should be a slam-dunk decision for the Capitals.