Detroit Red Wings: Filip Zadina deserves top-six minutes in 2020-21

The Detroit Red Wings should start slotting forward Filip Zadina into the top-six role that he will hope to become a mainstay in.

The Detroit Red Wings are going through a rebuild, but some of the prospects have already poked through into the NHL. Filip Zadina is one of them, one of the prospects who has found his way into NHL games during these short two stints with the organization.

Zadina, the sixth overall selection in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, is currently stationed over in the Czech Republic, where he has been tearing it up lately. He has five goals and two assists for seven points over eight games with his Czech Republic team.

In two years with the organization, he has spent a total of 37 games at the NHL level and 80 total games with the Grand Rapids Griffins at the AHL level. But now, in his third go-round, he should be catapulted into a bigger role to see how he fares.

More from Detroit Jock City

• Tigers Sign Manager A.J. Hinch to Long-Term Extension
• Lions vs. Bears Week 14 Opening Odds Disrespect Detroit
• Former Tigers Celebrate Jim Leyland Hall of Fame Call
• This Pistons Team Could be the Worst in Detroit Sports History
• 4 Free Agents Tigers Should Sign During Winter Meetings

In 2018-19, Zadina played in nine games where he had one goal and two assists for just three points. However, he logged 59 games with the Griffins, where he scored 16 goals and had 19 assists for 35 total points.

During the 2019-20 season, Zadina played in 28 games for the Red Wings, where he had eight goals and seven assists for a total of fifteen assists.

For the Griffins, Zadina had 21 games played where he nine goals and seven assists for 16 total points.

For the Red Wings, he may still be developing and working through the kinks as he makes the jump to the big leagues, but 2020-21 could help him.

Zadina could really use this season to settle in, and giving him top-six minutes should only help this process.

The 2020-21 NHL season plans have not been fully settled on yet. The rumors have indicated that it will likely be a shortened season, like 48 games. This would be a great chance to start phasing in Zadina and seeing what he has to offer.

A shorter, less-taxing season where the result really does not matter is the perfect time for Zadina. So the Red Wings should capitalize on this. Especially since the Red Wings are going to make vast improvements during the 2020-21 season, Zadina should be able to be playing along with good talent on the top two lines.

The Red Wings have to identify this with Zadina; why send him to the AHL during a shortened season when they can just let Zadina get a “full-season” in, even though it is shortened. As the offseason presses on and the plans for the 2020-21 season get clearer, the Red Wings will have to decide what to do with Zadina.

The hope should be that the Detroit Red Wings can call him back over from the Czech Republic and plug him into their lineup with hopes to watch him develop nicely in the top-six grouping.