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The Chicago Blackhawks should claim this player off waivers

By Vincent Parise

TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 30: Filip Zadina #11 of the Detroit Red Wings waits for a puck drop against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 30, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 5-4. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON - OCTOBER 30: Filip Zadina #11 of the Detroit Red Wings waits for a puck drop against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at Scotiabank Arena on October 30, 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 5-4. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) /
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The Chicago Blackhawks are a team looking to improve their team for both the present and the future. The future is obviously taking priority right now but there is a move to be made that can help them in both.

The Detroit Red Wings put forward Filip Zadina on waivers on Monday morning. This is pretty surprising as they are seemingly giving up on him this early.

Zadina was supposed to be a top-three pick in the 2018 NHL Draft but he fell a little bit. He ended up being the sixth overall selection.

The Czech forward was a great sniper for the Halifax Mooseheads ahead of being drafted but it just hasn’t translated to the NHL yet.

So far, he has played in 190 NHL games but he has only scored 28 goals and had 40 assists for 68 points. It hasn’t been all that productive but sometimes the eye test tells you that he can be a very productive player.

Filip Zadina is someone that the Chicago Blackhawks should consider right now.

As you can see from JFreshHockey, the analytics support that claim too. For being a sixth overall pick with some hype, he hasn’t lived up to it. However, his underlying numbers are good and he has really only gotten the ice time of a fourth-liner.

If he came to another team, he might get more ice time. That type of opportunity might open some doors for him to be a productive NHL forward. The Blackhawks could be the team that makes a move like that.

He’d fit right in. If he was given a chance with Bedard, he really might start to fill the net. Even if he got onto the second line with some of Chicago’s now secondary scorers, he might really begin to thrive.

It really wouldn’t be all that risky for Chicago. They are high on the waiver priority and could be the team that calls him down. It would be a little bit surprising if he made it through the other 31 NHL clubs without being claimed.

When a player with this type of upside is put out there for you to potentially get for free, you need to try. We’ll see what happens as the Hawks can afford to take a chance on him.

Related Story. Realistic expectations for Connor Bedard in year one. light

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