It is with heavy heart that I write to let you know that the Detroit Red Wings season is over… Oh you already knew that? Well with most things in this blog, I’m late to the party. More specifically: Filip Zadina’s first seven games in the NHL.
The course of this “rebuild-on-the-fly” has caused me to question a lot.
Does it work?
Are we ever going to be good again?
When does football start back?
None of those compares to, “why did Zadina slip and is he a bust?” The AHL is tough to get highlights of, therefore I’ve spent the entirety of this season relying on others for my updates on the kid. I hate that! I have an itch; to be able to watch someone and get a feel for what they can and can’t do.
That itch was scratched on February 24, and he is as advertised. Despite only having two points through his 7 games, Lil Z has been multifaceted. He’s silky, smart and hardworking. But the thing that’s impressed me the most is his ability to transition the puck. Typically with young players, they rely on pure, straight line speed to get the transition game going. With Zadina, there is an additional element, an understanding, which is astonishing. It’s eerily similar to Nikolaj Ehlers. I don’t know any zone entry stats to say whether this is true or not, but the kid has IT. I was scared for a while thinking he might not, but I’ve been proven wrong.
Filip Zadina is the best thing that happened to the Detroit Red Wings organization in 2018. Let’s hope this isn’t not the only year we can say that about him.