Confirmed with Link: Zadina signs 3 year extension (1.825 AAV)

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

LOL, true. Zero is better than negative.

One mistake does not justify another, there are plenty of $1M guys outplaying Zadina. I doubt he becomes anything more than he is now, he simply hasn't made any progress. And he's not outplaying anyone on the roster besides Oesterle, Smith got sent down, and everyone else besides Luff has at least one point, Luff is basically the same level player.

Unless he makes a miraculous improvement to his game he'll be bought out. Watch. Buying out that 3rd year saves $1.8M, and if he doesn't improve it's a no brainer.

The sad reality is, right now Zadina is a warm body that can play 14 minutes a night without being disastrous. With the Wings forward group right now, that's the bar. There's a reason Luff only plays 10 minutes a night.

I'll be happy if Zadina is gone, not that I hate the guy or anything. But I'm guessing he won't improve so if he's gone it means there's finally forwards on the roster better than him to take his spot.

 

[MBH]

The sad reality is, right now Zadina is a warm body that can play 14 minutes a night without being disastrous. With the Wings forward group right now, that's the bar. There's a reason Luff only plays 10 minutes a night.

I'll be happy if Zadina is gone, not that I hate the guy or anything. But I'm guessing he won't improve so if he's gone it means there's finally forwards on the roster better than him to take his spot.

When everyone gets healthy (not that you can ever count on that), Zadina is back to the pressbox unless something drastically changes.
There's a chance he could get a reprieve if the team sends Soderblom back to GR. But that could get counteracted by a promotion of Berggrenn.

 

[Gniwder]

The sad reality is, right now Zadina is a warm body that can play 14 minutes a night without being disastrous. With the Wings forward group right now, that's the bar. There's a reason Luff only plays 10 minutes a night.

I'll be happy if Zadina is gone, not that I hate the guy or anything. But I'm guessing he won't improve so if he's gone it means there's finally forwards on the roster better than him to take his spot.

Exactly, when the best argument that fans can make for the guy is that "he's not the worst in the league", then it's time to move on. Same reason why I'm not sad to see Cholo or Svech leave. That contract probably hurts his chances of staying with the Wings, he's tolerable as an AHL tweener, but teams don't pay $2.7M for a bench warmer. Wouldn't be surprised to see Luff stay with the organization longer than Zadina.

When everyone gets healthy (not that you can ever count on that), Zadina is back to the pressbox unless something drastically changes.
There's a chance he could get a reprieve if the team sends Soderblom back to GR. But that could get counteracted by a promotion of Berggrenn.

I'm not sure Berggy will ever get a fair chance with Lalonde, I think he's committed to ELmer. Just my opinion.

Zadina is probably done when Fabbri gets back.

 

[Henkka]

How much more patience will Stevie have with Zadina? I would not be surprised if he's gone by the trade deadline.

When Yzerman was at Tampa, he looked #6th overall Brett Connolly for 5 years.

Traded him after 61 games, 13+3=16 points to Boston for two 2nd round picks.

Connolly at trade time:
- 22 years old (soon turning 23)
- 0,26 points per game (61 games, 13+3=16 points).

Zadina last 2 seasons combined:
- 22 years old (soon turning 23)
- 0.30 points per game (81 games, 10+14=24 points)

 

[Barry Amsterdam]

LOL, true. Zero is better than negative.

One mistake does not justify another, there are plenty of $1M guys outplaying Zadina. I doubt he becomes anything more than he is now, he simply hasn't made any progress. And he's not outplaying anyone on the roster besides Oesterle, Smith got sent down, and everyone else besides Luff has at least one point, Luff is basically the same level player.

Unless he makes a miraculous improvement to his game he'll be bought out. Watch. Buying out that 3rd year saves $1.8M, and if he doesn't improve it's a no brainer.

there’s just no logical or possible scenario where he gets bought out. You don’t buy out that low of a contract. He’d go on waivers first and someone would absolutely take a gamble.

 

[norrisnick]

I'm just amused at the ridiculous level of rent free occupation Zadina has in the bulk of this fan base's heads.

Does he bring the value of what was hoped for at 6 OA? Nope, shit happens.
Is he the worst player picked in that top 10? Nope.
Is he still a 1st rounder in that draft? Yup.
Will some Wing fans claim he's not even worthy of an any round draft selection out of spite? You betcha!
Are there better bottom 6 forwards in the NHL? Definitely.
Are there worse bottom 6 forwards in the NHL? Definitely.
Is he an NHL level player? Absolutely.
Does his AAV demand a freakout relative to his level of play? Not in the slightest.
Will a bottom 6 forward be the most talked about player on this board? Probably.

 

[Killerjas]

I honestly don't care about where he was drafted at, his salary, if he has any trade value etc. I just want him to get his confidence back and improve upon himself.

 

[Gniwder]

there’s just no logical or possible scenario where he gets bought out. You don’t buy out that low of a contract. He’d go on waivers first and someone would absolutely take a gamble.

His salary for the 3rd year is $2.7M, and they save 2/3 by buying him out since he signed below the age threshold. He will DEFINITELY get bought out if he doesn't improve by the end of next season. That's $1.82M of actual money savings with $455k cap hit in 2025.

At $1.8M AAV, the only team I see taking a chance is Arizona, lol.

 

[Gniwder]

I'm just amused at the ridiculous level of rent free occupation Zadina has in the bulk of this fan base's heads.

Does he bring the value of what was hoped for at 6 OA? Nope, shit happens.
Is he the worst player picked in that top 10? Nope.
Is he still a 1st rounder in that draft? Yup.
Will some Wing fans claim he's not even worthy of an any round draft selection out of spite? You betcha!
Are there better bottom 6 forwards in the NHL? Definitely.
Are there worse bottom 6 forwards in the NHL? Definitely.
Is he an NHL level player? Absolutely.
Does his AAV demand a freakout relative to his level of play? Not in the slightest.
Will a bottom 6 forward be the most talked about player on this board? Probably.

Does he bring the value of what was hoped for at 6 OA? No, and obviously that's one of the issues
Is he the worst player picked in that top 10? No, but definitely a bust
Is he still a 1st rounder in that draft? Kenny doesn;t have a time machine so he can't fix it
Will some Wing fans claim he's not even worthy of an any round draft selection out of spite? No, because anyone that's played an NHL game is worthy of a pick. You're just making shit up.
Are there better bottom 6 forwards in the NHL? Tons
Are there worse bottom 6 forwards in the NHL? Only a few and all on bottom teams. Most players with stats comparable to Zadina bring other elements such as physicality, defensive play or PK. You don't seem to understand roster make up.
Is he an NHL level player? LOL. He'll be out of the league in 3 years.
Does his AAV demand a freakout relative to his level of play? Nobody is freaking out because the team has cap space, and he'll be bought out anyways..
Will a bottom 6 forward be the most talked about player on this board? Which team are you following? Copp will be the most talked about if he doesn't pick it up soon. His contract is a cap issue.

Let's bet on a username change that Zadina busts so we can end the argument. I was right about Cholo and Svech, I'm about 90%+ sure on Zadina busting completely. I just don't see any redeeming skill or talent that will keep him in the league. He's not even a poor man's Gagner right now, he's like a Third World Gagner, lol.

 

[jaster]

I, for one, welcome the discussions about Third World Gagner. I'd like to remind you that as a trusted HF boards poster, I can be helpful in rounding up more discussion points so we can toil in the discussion for multiple pages.

 

[Holden Caufield]

His prospect trajectory kind of reminds me of Martin Frk.

A shooter prospect, who’s shot unfortunately hasn’t been able to translate at the highest level.

I don’t think Zadina will be able to straighten his game out in the NHL. I think he needs a prolonged stint in the AHL to see if he can find the scoring touch and confidence.
He is not going to be a good fit as a depth player.(especially at nearly 2M per)

 

[izlez]

Zadina just needs some confidenceᵀᴹ

 

[Gniwder]

His prospect trajectory kind of reminds me of Martin Frk.

A shooter prospect, who’s shot unfortunately hasn’t been able to translate at the highest level.

I don’t think Zadina will be able to straighten his game out in the NHL. I think he needs a prolonged stint in the AHL to see if he can find the scoring touch and confidence.
He is not going to be a good fit as a depth player.(especially at nearly 2M per)

Frk, Pulky, Perlini, Brome, Riley Barber, Svech, etc.

Plenty of high scoring AHLers weren't able to take the next step. I'm more worried about Berggy being next than beating this dead horse. Not sure why people keep trying to kick some life into it, maybe they looked at its mouth too long and fell in love.

3rd year is $2.7M on Samurai Zadina's contract which will more than likely be bought out unless a miracle happens in the next 18 months.

 

[MBH]

Frk, Pulky, Perlini, Brome, Riley Barber, Svech, etc.

Plenty of high scoring AHLers weren't able to take the next step. I'm more worried about Berggy being next than beating this dead horse. Not sure why people keep trying to kick some life into it, maybe they looked at its mouth too long and fell in love.

3rd year is $2.7M on Samurai Zadina's contract which will more than likely be bought out unless a miracle happens in the next 18 months.

The writing is on the wall.
I wanted to see Zadina start on L2 with Vrana and Copp - under a new coach.
Pretty clear the new coach had no reason to think Zadina deserved to be in the lineup, let alone on L2.
Time to move on.

If Zadina somehow turns a corner - great. It's gravy.
Once you've written him off, you're playing with house money.

His prospect trajectory kind of reminds me of Martin Frk.

A shooter prospect, who’s shot unfortunately hasn’t been able to translate at the highest level.

I don’t think Zadina will be able to straighten his game out in the NHL. I think he needs a prolonged stint in the AHL to see if he can find the scoring touch and confidence.
He is not going to be a good fit as a depth player.(especially at nearly 2M per)

Frk's shot does translate.
His skating doesn't.

In his career he has 20 goals in 124 games and just 1321 minutes.
He has a shooting percentage of 11.8.

Zadina has a 25 goals in 167 games and 2538 minutes and a 7.4 shooting percentage.

To be honest, I'm kind of surprised Frk can't stick on a bottom feeder team in a 3rd line, 2nd unit PP role.

In LA, his shot has been lights out. 8 goals in 24 games. 19.5% shooting.

 

[Henkka]

It quite interesting, if Zadina will be bought out next summer:

2023-24 buyout caphit, 375k
2024-25 buyout caphit, -525k
2025-26 buyout caphit, 380k
2026-27 buyout caphit, 380k

Zadina bought out at summer 2024:

2024-25 buyout caphit, 450k
2025-26 buyout caphit, -455k

Teams will pay only 1/3 of the real salary with RFA buyouts for players at these young age.

 

[Henkka]

Our best players currently are:

1st round 2007, #26 overall - W David Perron
4th round 2009, #120 overall - LD Ben Chiarot
1st round 2010, #23 overall - RD Mark Pysyk
undrafted 2010 class - D Jordan Oesterle
1st round 2012, #22 overall - LD Olli Määttä
3rd round 2012, #81 overall - RW Oskar Sundqvist
2nd round 2013, #33 overall - W Adam Erne
2nd round 2013, #41 overall - LD Robert Hägg
2nd round 2013, #58 overall - LW Tyler Bertuzzi
4th round 2013, #104 overall - C Andrew Copp
7th round 2013, #171 overall - LW Dominik Kubalik
1st round 2014, #13 overall - LW Jakub Vrana
1st round 2014, #14 overall - C Dylan Larkin
1st round 2014, #21 overall - LW Robby Fabbri
2nd round 2014, #37 overall, G Alex Nedeljkovic
3rd round 2014, #82 overall - LD Jake Walman
4th round 2014, #94 overall - G Ville Husso
undrafted 2014 class - C Pius Suter
1st round 2015, #19 overall - W Evgeni BUSTnikov
1st round 2016, #20 overall - LD Dennis BUSTlowski
2nd round 2016, #53 overall - RD Filip Hronek
1st round 2017, #9 overall - C Michael Rasmussen
2nd round 2017, #38 overall - RD Gustav Lindström
1st round 2018, #6 overall - RW Filip BUSTina
1st round 2018, #30 overall - C Joe Veleno
2nd round 2018, #33 overall - W Jonatan Berggren
1st round 2019, #6 overall - RD Moritz Seider
2nd round 2019, #60 overall - D Albert Johansson
6th round 2019, #169 overall - LW Elmer Söderblom
1st round 2020, #4 overall - RW Lucas Raymond
1st round 2021, #6 overall - LD Simon Edvinsson
1st round 2021, #15 overall - G Sebastian Cossa
1st round 2022, #8 overall - C Marco Kasper

Just quite informative where does the players come from. Mostly from low rounds.

Expectations are the problem for people (with high picks) to get pissed of.

Yzerman is a lovely GM, when doesn't give a shit, if high picks are busting. He goes forwards will get players from elsewhere.

 

[Gniwder]

It quite interesting, if Zadina will be bought out next summer:

2023-24 buyout caphit, 375k
2024-25 buyout caphit, -525k
2025-26 buyout caphit, 380k
2026-27 buyout caphit, 380k

Zadina bought out at summer 2024:

2024-25 buyout caphit, 450k
2025-26 buyout caphit, -455k

I think they send him down to GR at some point, since a waiver is required before a buyout anyways. Better, cheaper players have cleared waivers. I'm more inclined to think it happens next season, not this one. Then a buyout summer 2024. I don't have much hope for Zadina, but I think it would be premature to buy him out without sending him to GR first.

 

[Sparty]

If we need to buy out Zadina it probably means we attracted some big names in free agency, right? I mean this roster as it is won't require that we spend to the cap anytime in the next three years.

 

[TheOtherOne]

Let's bet on a username change that Zadina busts so we can end the argument. I was right about Cholo and Svech, I'm about 90%+ sure on Zadina busting completely. I just don't see any redeeming skill or talent that will keep him in the league. He's not even a poor man's Gagner right now, he's like a Third World Gagner, lol.

Lol, you're already ButtKrak, how is anyone supposed to embarrass you with a username change?

 

[Henkka]

If we need to buy out Zadina it probably means we attracted some big names in free agency, right? I mean this roster as it is won't require that we spend to the cap anytime in the next three years.

We already did spent for some new guys, to make Zadina not even needed.

With Healthy roster:

Bertuzzi - Larkin - Vrana
Perron - Copp - Raymond
Kubalik - Ras - Fabbri
Erne - Veleno - Sundqvist
Söderblom - Suter - Smith

We just move on and never look back. Those 15 players will improve the team. Yzerman likes to improve the team. He moves on.

 

[Gniwder]

Lol, you're already ButtKrak, how is anyone supposed to embarrass you with a username change?

Zadina's #1 Fan

lol

 

[Gniwder]

If we need to buy out Zadina it probably means we attracted some big names in free agency, right? I mean this roster as it is won't require that we spend to the cap anytime in the next three years.

Not necessarily. His third year is $2.7M, buyout saves $1.82M of real money. You can buy a warm body in free agency for half of that, thereby saving Chris $1M of actual real money.

Remember when I said Abby would be bought out, and everyone argued with me? There's salary cap, and there's real money. Both get taken into consideration. Seriously doubt Chris will want to spend $2.7M to watch Zadina blow scoring chances on a nightly basis.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Is he the worst player picked in that top 10? Nope.
Is he still a 1st rounder in that draft? Yup.
Will some Wing fans claim he's not even worthy of an any round draft selection out of spite? You betcha!
Are there better bottom 6 forwards in the NHL? Definitely.
Are there worse bottom 6 forwards in the NHL? Definitely.
Is he an NHL level player? Absolutely.
Does his AAV demand a freakout relative to his level of play? Not in the slightest.
Will a bottom 6 forward be the most talked about player on this board? Probably.

False.

 

[norrisnick]

False.

Barrett Hayton
You can do the work to come up with 31 names.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Barrett Hayton
You can do the work to come up with 31 names.

I feel so much better about the Zadina pick...