Detroit Red Wings: Top 10 prospects to track in 2021
By Bob Heyrman
Winger: Filip Zadina
At one time, Filip Zadina had been far and away from the organization’s top prospect. While he’s fallen from the top spot, the gap is tight one thru three. Zadina was another one of those prospects who had been projected as a top-three pick but fell right into Holland’s lap sixth overall in 2018.
At the time, the Detroit Red Wings had been sifting through a handful of defensemen they’d likely pick, knowing how bleak the organization’s defense corps had been at the time.
I was thrilled to see Holland and company select Zadina knowing he had 40-goal potential. I know the organization needed help on the backend, but if we’re candid, the franchise needed help throughout at essentially every position.
Zadina, similar to Veleno, has not fast-tracked to the NHL. He’s also taken his lumps at the AHL level but has proven to score in bunches.
The young forward continues to maintain that 40-goal potential, and he’s sure to start the 2021 season as a top-nine forward with the Detroit Red Wings. Zadina would benefit from playing alongside a highly-skilled playmaking center like Dylan Larkin. There is a chance head coach Jeff Blashill will experiment with a line of Zadina, Larkin, and Anthony Mantha.
That would allow Blashill to lengthen out the lineup, moving Tyler Bertuzzi with Robby Fabbri, Vladislav Namestnikov. Bobby Ryan’s play will also have a say as to where the Detroit Red Wings play Zadina. If Ryan is rejuvenated, he will find himself on Detroit’s second line or perhaps on the top line leaving Zadina on an island once again with defensive-minded, over-the-hill veteran players such as Frans Nielsen and Valtteri Filppula.
Expect Zadina to be a staple in Detroit’s lineup right from the get-go in 2021.
NHL ETA: 2021