Can Filip Zadina finally find scoring touch for the Detroit Red Wings?

The Detroit Red Wings settled on winger Filip Zadina with the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. This pick had the Red Wings passing on names like Adam Boqvist, Joel Farabee, Quinn Hughes, etc., who were all taken in the first round after Zadina.

However, the Detroit Red Wings liked what Zadina had to offer, and rightfully so. Hindsight is always 20/20, and Zadina still has more to give, even in his fourth season appearing in NHL games for the Red Wings organization.

Zadina is known to be a sniper-type forward who can put the puck in the back of the net and get things done in the offensive zone. He’s got a great shot and good vision in the offensive zone to create scoring chances.

The Red Wings have not seen this at a consistent rate during his time with the organization. Zadina is a scorer who is supposed to be putting up goals, and he has yet to show this. All things considered, the Red Wings need to be hoping for more.

The Detroit Red Wings need to expect more from Filip Zadina.

In 2021-22 the Red Wings have seen Zadina take the ice for 18 games, where he has logged three goals and four assists for seven total points. He has shown flashes of what he can be but has not been able to tap into this scoring.

Last year he logged a career-high 49 games on the season where he had six goals and 13 assists for 19 total points. After a good showing over 28 games in 2019-20 where he had eight goals and seven assists for 15 total points, it seemed that Zadina was going to be able to figure things out on the offensive side of things.

As it mentioned above, he did not entirely do that last year, and this year looks like he’s on pace for a similar season, likely a little bit better performance. The Red Wings are hoping that Zadina can be the player they drafted him to be, but he’s still got a ways to go before that level of play is reached.

If that’s going to happen, he’s going to have to tap into that scoring touch, and it leaves me questioning if he can do it consistently. He’s shown the abilities of a nice shot and ability to set up scoring chances, but it has never stuck around consistently.

Zadina needs to find a way to produce consistently to really pan out and be the winger the Red Wings drafted him to be.