Bob Duff: Zadina Among Cuts The Detroit Red Wings trimmed their roster to 31 players on Sunday as the NHL-mandated 5 p.m. EST Tuesday deadline to be down to the 23-player roster. To no one’s surprise, forward Filip Zadina, 18, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NHL entry draft, was assigned to AHL Grand Rapids after a lukewarm preseason performance that clearly indicated he wasn’t NHL-ready.

bust

bust
- wingz4life

His biggest problem is that even "senior" hockey writers are not able to pronounce his full name - and it isn't even difficult.

I guess he is eligible for the ahl. Hadn’t followed up to see if he would have been sent to junior. He will still be a star soon

Bob Duff: Zadina Among Cuts
The Detroit Red Wings trimmed their roster to 31 players on Sunday as the NHL-mandated 5 p.m. EST Tuesday deadline to be down to the 23-player roster. To no one’s surprise, forward Filip Zadina, 18, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NHL entry draft, was assigned to AHL Grand Rapids after a lukewarm preseason performance that clearly indicated he wasn’t NHL-ready.
- BobDuff

Good choice to not burn a year off that entry level contract. Two years of tanking and this team won't be recognizable, as well as cap happy!

Hopefully cap happy. Never underestimate ken holland with a some excess to spend apn resigning and in free agency!

I guess he is eligible for the ahl. Hadn’t followed up to see if he would have been sent to junior. He will still be a star soon

He is eligible for the AHL but I wonder if he would be better off going back to the QMJHL instead since his team, Halifax Mooseheads, are hosting the Memorial Cup. That would be a good experience for him.

He is eligible for the AHL but I wonder if he would be better off going back to the QMJHL instead since his team, Halifax Mooseheads, are hosting the Memorial Cup. That would be a good experience for him.
- porkchops1977

I watched him play in Halifax all last year, great talent. I don't think that junior would be the best place for him to be though. playing in the Q last year seemed almost too easy for him, he had a lot of bad habits forming that were quite obvious. he was able to get away with it in junior, but you saw in that pre-season game when he cut across the middle with his head down and got SMOKED, that he can't get away with stuff like that in the pro's. I think if he spends another year in jr, where he won't get broken of those habits, it probably won't hurt his development, but it also won't help it. I think he needs to play in the AHL, in the long run I think that's what would be best for his game.

kid is still a stud though. I love Tkachuk, but part of me still wishes the sens would have taken Zadina (my kid has 2 jersey's and like 8 pucks autographed by him).

I watched him play in Halifax all last year, great talent. I don't think that junior would be the best place for him to be though. playing in the Q last year seemed almost too easy for him, he had a lot of bad habits forming that were quite obvious. he was able to get away with it in junior, but you saw in that pre-season game when he cut across the middle with his head down and got SMOKED, that he can't get away with stuff like that in the pro's. I think if he spends another year in jr, where he won't get broken of those habits, it probably won't hurt his development, but it also won't help it. I think he needs to play in the AHL, in the long run I think that's what would be best for his game.

kid is still a stud though. I love Tkachuk, but part of me still wishes the sens would have taken Zadina (my kid has 2 jersey's and like 8 pucks autographed by him).
- sensarmy_11

Exactly. He needs to learn the spacing and how to get open in the pro game.

bustina

bustina
- glove_was_stuck

The kid is 18... are you clueless ? Kind of early for that kind of prediction.

He is eligible for the AHL but I wonder if he would be better off going back to the QMJHL instead since his team, Halifax Mooseheads, are hosting the Memorial Cup. That would be a good experience for him.
- porkchops1977

I have to concur with sensarmy and Feds. He's ready for the AHL and he should be learning the pro game against older and tougher competition, rather than taking a victory lap in juniors. Plus it allows them the option of promoting him immediately midseason if he tears it up in GR.

There's a reason NHL teams are normally not allowed to assign CHL players to the minors until they turn 20. (I'm sure you already know this but I'll explain just in case other readers aren't as knowledgeable.) It's better for a not-quite-ready-for-the-NHL 18- or 19-year old to be playing in the AHL, but if it were allowed on a large scale it would deplete the CHL of top talent. That's obviously bad for the CHL and also bad for the next wave of 16-17 year old players now developing in a weaker CHL.

The fact that Zadina is one of the few exceptions to this rule due to his "European pro on loan" status is IMO a rare opportunity the Wings should take advantage of.