Zadina

[Pavels Dog]

What would it take to acquire this guy from the Sharks? Young, formerly a high pick so there's probably some untapped potential there. Just playing on a bad team where he can't live up to potential. We can put him on the 2nd line and 2nd PP and maybe he will have a resurgance.

Two struggling prospects (Kasper+Danielson?) and a 2nd?

 

[Henkka]

Zadina has more PP goals than Compher, Sprong or Seider.

There's something on this guy.

 

[Hugh Mongusbig]

on pace for 15 points and (-)104.

If anybody in the league deserves a 41 game suspension for gambling, it's Zadina for his horrible bet on turning his career around on this putrid sharks team.

 

[Detroit Knights]

on pace for 15 points and (-)104.

If anybody in the league deserves a 41 game suspension for gambling, it's Zadina for his horrible bet on turning his career around on this putrid sharks team.

The negative 104 made be take a step back like "whoa" then the next line was golden lmao. Great one liner lol.

 

[cvaicunas]

Pick 3. Chicago is under a lawsuit and Bettman needs to cover it up by giving the Hawks another lotto win.

Greattt. I feel lunch rising back up already

 

[sepster]

From the Athletic:

Of course, sometimes a change of scenery doesn’t work. Filip Zadina got a new lease on his NHL life in San Jose and it hasn’t exactly worked out as expected. At minus-5.6, Zadina has the second worst Net Rating in the league ahead of only teammate Mario Ferraro (whose minute difficulty is probably vastly undersold by any stat). Zadina has just five points in 20 games, a 30 percent expected goals rate and has been outscored 22-5 at five-on-five.
Maybe he needs a better environment himself, but being the worst player on the worst team isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement that Zadina has a whole lot to offer.

 

[jaster]

From the Athletic:

Of course, sometimes a change of scenery doesn’t work. Filip Zadina got a new lease on his NHL life in San Jose and it hasn’t exactly worked out as expected. At minus-5.6, Zadina has the second worst Net Rating in the league ahead of only teammate Mario Ferraro (whose minute difficulty is probably vastly undersold by any stat). Zadina has just five points in 20 games, a 30 percent expected goals rate and has been outscored 22-5 at five-on-five.
Maybe he needs a better environment himself, but being the worst player on the worst team isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement that Zadina has a whole lot to offer.

That NHL window continues to close real quick.

 

[The Zermanator]

That NHL window continues to close real quick.

Looking like a very expensive mistake to give up the guaranteed bag, which was always the most likely scenario.

 

[Gniwder]

That NHL window continues to close real quick.

The window was never open. Zadina is like a tweety bird that keeps flying into closed windows, lol. The birds never figure it out though, eventually they'll fly into the window hard enough to die. Happens around once a week at work, we have an enclosed 2 story walkway.

From the Athletic:

Of course, sometimes a change of scenery doesn’t work. Filip Zadina got a new lease on his NHL life in San Jose and it hasn’t exactly worked out as expected. At minus-5.6, Zadina has the second worst Net Rating in the league ahead of only teammate Mario Ferraro (whose minute difficulty is probably vastly undersold by any stat). Zadina has just five points in 20 games, a 30 percent expected goals rate and has been outscored 22-5 at five-on-five.
Maybe he needs a better environment himself, but being the worst player on the worst team isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement that Zadina has a whole lot to offer.

Garbage stats watching article. Zadina just doesn't have the skill set to be an NHLer. Can't hit one timers when passes come at NHL speed, and not enough puck reaction to score garbage goals up close. Tries the same moves over and over, and no awareness of where teammates are. I'm not sure he's even at SHL level, he probably winds up in the Czech league.

 

[Rzombo4 prez]

I can't thank Zadina enough for betting on himself.

 

[jaster]

Looking like a very expensive mistake to give up the guaranteed bag, which was always the most likely scenario.

Yup. A lot of people pushed back on that argument, but it was pretty clearly a poor decision the moment he made it. But I guess betting on yourself can seem like a good idea when you have an inflated sense of how good you are at your job.

 

[jaster]

The window was never open. Zadina is like a tweety bird that keeps flying into closed windows, lol. The birds never figure it out though, eventually they'll fly into the window hard enough to die. Happens around once a week at work, we have an enclosed 2 story walkway.

My grandma's house had a big bay window that looked out on her backyard. Every time I was over there in the summer a bird would smash into it, sometimes killing themselves. A lot of birds betting on themselves.

In this case I'm talking about the window being analogous to his presence in the NHL at all. A lot of people thought he had a good chance to redeem himself in SJ and then sign a better contract. That plan doesn't seem to be going well.

 

[norrisnick]

Yup. A lot of people pushed back on that argument, but it was pretty clearly a poor decision the moment he made it. But I guess betting on yourself can seem like a good idea when you have an inflated sense of how good you are at your job.

It's not all about money. If Zadina was specifically told he was going to start in GR, I don't blame him one bit for trying to find a gig in the NHL. And then yes, if the only option in NA is the AHL, peace out for home. Bus trips are much shorter in Czechia....

 

[jaster]

It's not all about money. If Zadina was specifically told he was going to start in GR, I don't blame him one bit for trying to find a gig in the NHL. And then yes, if the only option in NA is the AHL, peace out for home. Bus trips are much shorter in Czechia....

I forget the calculation, something like $3-4M he gave up by leaving his contract and signing with SJ? Whatever it is... it may not be all about the money, but if last off-season Zadina knew his choices were 1) get paid $4.5M over 2 years to start in the AHL and have a chance to get promoted to the NHL, or 2) get paid $1.1M to play 1 year in the NHL and then like $10 to play 1 year in Europe....

I have a hard time believing he chooses #2.

 

[The Zermanator]

It's not all about money. If Zadina was specifically told he was going to start in GR, I don't blame him one bit for trying to find a gig in the NHL. And then yes, if the only option in NA is the AHL, peace out for home. Bus trips are much shorter in Czechia....

Of course it's not all about money. It's not all about hockey either though. Life is a lot longer than an athletic career, and pro athletes have a very limited window to earn their money. Hard to see how squeezing out a few more NHL games before ultimately fizzling out anyway is worth the massive hit he took to his financial outlook.

The AHL isn't a beer league, he could have collected his much larger paychecks and done his best to find his game in GR. If he did, he could have played his way back onto the Wings, or convinced another team to take a chance on him and take his contract. If he didn't find his game again, at least he could head back to Europe with a lot more money to his name.

 

[norrisnick]

I forget the calculation, something like $3-4M he gave up by leaving his contract and signing with SJ? Whatever it is... it may not be all about the money, but if last off-season Zadina knew his choices were 1) get paid $4.5M over 2 years to start in the AHL and have a chance to get promoted to the NHL, or 2) get paid $1.1M to play 1 year in the NHL and then like $10 to play 1 year in Europe....

I have a hard time believing he chooses #2.

He can play as long as he wants in Europe. Not being NHL caliber is very different from not being Euro league caliber.

And the AHL could very well have been a deal breaker for him. Like if my last job had wanted to transfer me to like Texas or Oklahoma and then maybe some undefined time in the future maybe return to civilization I'm not going. Even if I make half as much money at my new gig.

 

[jaster]

He can play as long as he wants in Europe. Not being NHL caliber is very different from not being Euro league caliber.

I was strictly comparing the window of time that includes this season and next, as that's what his Wings contract covered. I agree that he can play in Europe for a long time. I think that beyond the 2024-25 season, that will be true in both scenarios above.

And the AHL could very well have been a deal breaker for him. Like if my last job had wanted to transfer me to like Texas or Oklahoma and then maybe some undefined time in the future maybe return to civilization I'm not going. Even if I make half as much money at my new gig.

Sure, it may have been a deal breaker for him at the time. But would it be if he applied hindsight? I doubt it. And what would be hindsight for him would be what a lot of us thought back in July, at the time the decision was made.

 

[norrisnick]

I was strictly comparing the window of time that includes this season and next, as that's what his Wings contract covered. I agree that he can play in Europe for a long time. I think that beyond the 2024-25 season, that will be true in both scenarios above.


Sure, it may have been a deal breaker for him at the time. But would it be if he applied hindsight? I doubt it. And what would be hindsight for him would be what a lot of us thought back in July, at the time the decision was made.

You think he's going to magically want to play in the AHL just because he's not doing well in the NHL? Europe > AHL all day every day.

 

[Winger98]

It looks like he is leaving a bunch of money on the table by going to SJ, but I have no idea what those income taxes and expenses look like for athletes. The real world difference between what he is making for the Sharks this year and what he would have made for the Wings probably isn't as simple as the black and white dollar amounts on capfriendly. I would bet his agent does have those numbers, though, and the difference clearly wasn't enough to make Zadina stay.

We also don't know what numbers he was looking at short term and being confined to GR versus going to SJ and trying to prove himself in a bigger opportunity. The possible financial gains likely dwarf what he was guaranteed, especially if he figured to be buried in GR which would crater his next contract anyway.

In the end, he made the decision that he felt was best for him and that he was happiest with. Viewing it through any other lens probably says more of what we feel is important than what he does.

 

[Gniwder]

I forget the calculation, something like $3-4M he gave up by leaving his contract and signing with SJ? Whatever it is... it may not be all about the money, but if last off-season Zadina knew his choices were 1) get paid $4.5M over 2 years to start in the AHL and have a chance to get promoted to the NHL, or 2) get paid $1.1M to play 1 year in the NHL and then like $10 to play 1 year in Europe....

I have a hard time believing he chooses #2.

That's why I said the window was never open, lol. He never had the skill set for a window. He would've been bought out this summer at 1/3 salary, so the real difference is $1.64M. That buys a lot of Guinness.

He can play as long as he wants in Europe. Not being NHL caliber is very different from not being Euro league caliber.

And the AHL could very well have been a deal breaker for him. Like if my last job had wanted to transfer me to like Texas or Oklahoma and then maybe some undefined time in the future maybe return to civilization I'm not going. Even if I make half as much money at my new gig.

Remember when I said he'd be bought out anyways? LOL. That's $910k of free money he passed up. Sure he'd have to ride the bus this season, but for a total of $1.83M this season plus $910k buyout, I'd ride the bus around for a year. Czech league pays less than $250k/season. It'll take him years to make up what he walked away from.

In the end, he made the decision that he felt was best for him and that he was happiest with. Viewing it through any other lens probably says more of what we feel is important than what he does.

It's easier for us to judge his talent level than it is for himself to judge it. Obviously he thought he had NHL talent, whereas most of us except Nick thought otherwise.

 

[norrisnick]

Remember when I said he'd be bought out anyways? LOL. That's $910k of free money he passed up. Sure he'd have to ride the bus this season, but for a total of $1.83M this season plus $910k buyout, I'd ride the bus around for a year. Czech league pays less than $250k/season. It'll take him years to make up what he walked away from.

Sounds like it isn't free money. Not everyone is up for a ride just for money... But again, you do you.

 

[Winger98]

It's easier for us to judge his talent level than it is for himself to judge it. Obviously he thought he had NHL talent, whereas most of us except Nick thought otherwise.

in the end you have to live with yourself and the decisions made. Being able to look back and say he gave himself the best opportunity to show he could make it seems to be a pretty big deal. The guy's clock to prove that is ticking pretty loudly, too. This might have been the only way that he saw himself getting that opportunity.

 

[ricky0034]

ultimately he had to do something if he wanted a chance at sticking around in the NHL long term

it doesn't appear to have worked out but that $3m turns into 30 awful fast if you can find a way to stick around long term as even a 3rd liner

 

[JuJu Mobb]

“I was telling my agent, if they will pass on me, I’m going to fill their nets with pucks,” the newly-drafted Zadina said, via Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press. “I want to prove to Detroit that they make a pretty good decision.”

 

[Oddbob]

To be fair to Zadina, the entire Sharks roster has very bad stats. He only has 5 pts, but that is still tied for 7th on the team and only 4 pts less than 2nd.