Filip Zadina delivers parting shot at Red Wings

Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman attempted to facilitate a trade for disgruntled former 1st round draft pick Filip Zadina, but there were no takers. He even waived Zadina to allow any of the other 31 NHL clubs to pick him up without having to give up any assets of their own. Again, no takers. 

The relationship between Zadina and the Red Wings officially came to a close last week when he was placed on waivers for the expressed purpose of having his contract terminated. He became a free-agent and was free to sign with any other NHL club. That's when Mike Grier and the San Jose Sharks came calling, signing Zadina for one season with a reported cap hit of $1.1 million.

Zadina spoke of his time with the Red Wings, saying that it was not easy going through his injuries but that there were in fact several teams interested in him.

“Last couple of seasons in Detroit I’ve been hurt all the time,” Zadina said. “It was tough mentally seeing other players playing and I was in the gym and watching those games from the stands and not really being a part of the game. When I wasn’t playing, the other guys who were getting a chance to play, they played well and they earned that spot and it was tough for me to start from the bottom every season. I would rather go somewhere else to get the opportunity and prove myself that I’m still a good player as I used to be.”

“I was actually a little scared that the interest is not going to be that high as I wanted,” Zadina said. “But it turned out a lot of teams had big interest to have me on their team. A lot of teams were asking. That was making my decision even harder because there were good teams I could go to. I spoke to a bunch of GMs, a bunch of coaches, a bunch of players called me from different teams. It was really a hard time to decide but I believe I did the right decision going to San Jose.”

So, if there were plenty of teams and GMs interested in Zadina, how come none of them picked him up for free on waivers? Regardless, Zadina has the chance to wipe the slate clean and start over fresh with the Sharks.