The San Jose Sharks have begun the 2023-24 regular season, and unfortunately, it began the way many were expecting. The Sharks took on the Vegas Golden Knights, and they struggled to keep up with the reigning Stanley Cup champions. By the conclusion of the third period, Vegas walked away with a 4-1 victory. However, not all was as doom and gloom as it seemed. Amidst the struggles, one player stood out: Filip Zadina.
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While the Sharks walked away from their season opener with a loss, their lone goal came from Zadina, who the Sharks picked up in free agency after he was bought out by the Detroit Red Wings. The former sixth-overall pick may not have panned out in Detroit, but it looks like his time in San Jose may already be off on the right foot. However, with the majority of the season remaining, he still has a lot to prove.
Zadina Already Looks Comfortable With the Sharks
Despite not being very deep into the regular season whatsoever, it isn’t a stretch to say that Zadina already looks much more comfortable with the Sharks than he ever did with the Red Wings. His best season with Detroit happened in 2021-22, in which he put up 24 points in 74 games. However, these totals were nowhere near what was expected of him when he was selected sixth overall in 2018. That being said, he already has found limited success with the Sharks.
While Zadina only has one goal in the two regular games he’s played in, the Sharks are already putting a lot of faith in him. Considering there is no pressure for them to compete, it makes sense that they are letting Zadina do his thing. If there is one thing that can make it harder for a struggling player to find their game, it’s immense amounts of pressure. However, while it is true that there is no pressure for the Sharks to win, there is undoubtedly a bit of pressure on Zadina to begin showing his potential sometime soon.
Zadina May Be Running Out of Time to Find His Game
While Zadina is by no means a lost cause, he is undoubtedly beginning to run out the clock on time to improve. He is already 23 years old, and he has only shown improvement in bits and pieces throughout his career. However, he finally got a change of scenery with the Sharks, which could give him some confidence that he has a chance to start over. He definitely looks more comfortable now than he did with Detroit, but this behavior has to be sustainable if the Sharks want him to be a part of their future.
Realistically, Zadina only has a season or two to show that he can be a big part of the Sharks going forward. The team is moving in a much younger direction at a rapid pace. Any and all players who don’t fit their mold for the future are at risk of being moved. If they’re willing to move on from Erik Karlsson after a 100-point season, they will move on from anyone. While it is unlikely Zadina ever reaches the same levels of stardom that Karlsson did, he can still prove that he can be a part of the next generation. If he wants to do that, though, he needs to keep progressing at a similar pace to what he is now.
While the Sharks are only two games into the regular season, there have been some bright spots in the losses they’ve accrued. Zadina is definitely one of those bright spots, but he has the opportunity to turn that bright spot into a full-time NHL career. He hasn’t been able to find that stability so far, but there is no better time to turn his career around than right now. Hopefully, Zadina is capable of becoming everything he was ever projected to be.
