SAN JOSE, Calif. — Filip Zadina has a new home.
The 23-year-old signed a one-year, $1.1 million contract with the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
After telling the Detroit Red Wings he was looking for a fresh start, Zadina was placed on waivers on July 3, and then had the final two seasons of his three-year, $5.475 million contract ($1.825 million average annual value) terminated.
JD Young of Locked on Sharks says this is the perfect low-risk, high-reward signing for Sharks general manager Mike Grier, and playing with Tomas Hertl or Logan Couture could give Zadina the high-quality centers he has yet to play with at the NHL level.
"If Zadina plays with Hertl or Couture for a good chunk of the season - which we expect him to do - he'll be in a much better place to succeed and all he has to do is shoot the puck," Young says.
This signing also gives the Sharks another option on the power play, a clear area of need after last season.
There's clearly some upside here, as Zadina was selected by the Red Wings in the first round (No. 6) of the 2018 NHL Draft. He recorded only 68 points (28 goals, 40 assists) in 190 games, but clearly believes he has more to give after terminating his deal with Detroit and betting on himself on a lesser deal with the Sharks.
San Jose is in a building mode, and the Sharks will provide Zadina with a pressure-free space to rediscover the goal scoring talent that had him so highly touted in his draft year.
He'll be well set up for success alongside one of San Jose's top two centers, and, as Young says, his main job will be getting pucks on net.
There's an opportunity here for him to become a core member of the future in San Jose. Now it's up to Zadina to make good on it.