Red Wings Wrap-Up: Zadina focuses on positives in fourth NHL season

After the Detroit Red Wings made Filip Zadina a healthy scratch in a 6-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Jan. 4, the forward could have viewed the situation several ways.

But Zadina took the coaching decision as a wake-up call, and a result of competing in the best hockey league in the world.
"I just gotta figure out what I got to do better to be in the lineup," he said two days after being a healthy scratch. "And just be a better player overall."
Zadina returned to the lineup on Jan. 8 and finished the 2021-22 campaign by posting career highs in games played (74), goals (10), assists (14) and points (24) before missing Detroit's final five games due to appendicitis.

"Those ups and downs are gonna be here forever," Zadina said on Feb. 10. "I guess it would be nice for it to just be up, but you just gotta keep believing and put those negative things off your head."
The Czech native said his mindset helped him navigate the ebbs and flows of the regular season.
"It's not easy, but it's also not hard to just focus on the right things," he said. "I believe in myself and that I'm a good hockey player, one who can be useful on the ice."

Zadina showed signs of improvement over the season's final three months. In particular, he had a goal and two assists in a four-game stretch from Jan. 28 - Feb. 2, earning an extended look on Detroit's top line.
According to Zadina, he felt at ease playing with Lucas Raymond and captain Dylan Larkin.
"It's been great to play with those guys on the ice," Zadina said on Feb. 24. "We had good chances. Especially for me, I do feel very comfortable with them."
While only a temporary change, Zadina said he learned a lot on the top line.
"I'm learning by watching those players (Raymond and Larkin) and watching other players in the league do the same thing," Zadina said on Feb. 10. "I just wanna keep it going like that because I think when I'm going to the net, it's not bouncing my way, but I don't wanna make excuses like that."

Still just 22 years old, Zadina figures to have more opportunities to prove why Detroit selected him sixth overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He enters this summer as a restricted free agent.
"There were some ups and downs this season for sure, but I'm not taking any pressure to put on my shoulders," Zadina said. "I just wanna play the sport I've been playing since I was a little kid."