Filip Zadina has had a difficult year. The sixth-overall pick from 2018 has just 11 goals and 23 points with the Grand Rapids Griffins, and was held to just a single assist at the World Juniors, a tournament he dominated last year. Still, that won’t stop the Detroit Red Wings from giving him a taste of the NHL before the end of the season. GM Ken Holland told Ansar Khan of MLive that Zadina will play a few games with the Red Wings before the end of the year, but won’t go over the nine-game threshold that would make his entry-level contract kick in for this season.
Zadina is an extremely skilled player with a deadly accurate shot, and is still just a teenager playing in a professional league with opponents sometimes more than a decade older than him. Struggles maybe were to be expected, but for the Red Wings success he needs to take another step forward next season. Getting him a taste of what it takes to play in the NHL before the summer will give him even more focus this offseason to come to camp ready to compete in September.
- Dustin Byfuglien has been activated from injured reserve by the Winnipeg Jets after a 15-game absence, and should immediately help them on their push to finish at the top of the Western Conference. The Jets are still in the market to make a move at the trade deadline, but getting Byfuglien back at this point should feel like a big addition for the last part of the season. The big, mobile defenseman usually logs some of the highest ice time totals in the league and is a physical force that demands respect all over the rink.
- Los Angeles Kings GM Rob Blake had some snark for the analysts at TSN when speaking with Curtis Zupke of the Los Angeles Times, and explained that there’s not definite time frame on when he’s looking to make moves to improve the club. If there are opportunities like the one he took by trading away Jake Muzzin the Kings will jump all over it, but they’re not rushing to sell off the whole team right away. For what it’s worth, our readership at PHR believes that Tyler Toffoli will be the next player sent packing by the Kings.
I like how the article says the Kings don’t like to use the word “Rebuild”, but they are “sellers”…. that is purely a term they want to avoid in order to hopefully keep ticket sales up. Face it…. the Kings are in for an extensive and time consuming rebuild. Look for 2022, at least, before the Kings are relevant again. They don’t have the cap space or near NHL ready prospects to address all their needs
When you have an elite center, defenceman, and goalie you’re never too far away from competing.
look at the farm system, they are a ways away.
Supersinker…. well, they have those three players right now…. and they are near dead last in the NHL…. sooooo?????
ThePriceWasRight,,,, yup. While last years draft was a little better, they need those ALL to work out (which never happens), and even if they do…. it’s 3-4 years before they contribute at the nhl level. Plus, the big pick they should be tanking for, #1 overall jack Hughes, looks like it will be going to Colorado if things continue like this. Jack Hughes on that young, fast, skilled Colorado team??? Yikes. Just yikes. Meanwhile Kings are getting older and slower
The Kings are now 5 points out of a playoff spot with a really weak western conference. You can never really count them out.
Being in dead last place in the western conference, which is weak (as you pointed out), does not make you a contender. Yes, you really can count them out.
Has it ever occurred that they have been awful this year due to the massive amount of injuires. I know speed and skill are your favorite words but its a little more than that. Sure they need more of it but thats not the main reason they have stunk it up. Blake calls it a retool because in a rebuild everyone must go. And in this case you have 2-3 untouchable veterans so thats not a rebuild. They are going to attempt to make the playoffs next season (and even this year isnt out of reach yet) and thats not exaclty impossible. Colorado jumped from the worst season in history to contender and dont try and spin it that speed and skill is why they went from a 40 point team to over 90