Former Sharks Forward is Best Available PTO

A former San Jose Sharks' forward is a prime professional tryout candidate for a number of teams.

Apr 1, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; San Jose Sharks right wing Filip Zadina (18) controls the puck during the third period against the Seattle Kraken at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The San Jose Sharks have a wave of young talent slowly integrating into their NHL lineup. 2023 first-round pick Will Smith and recent first-overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini are both expected to be everyday players for the Sharks this season. 2021 first rounder William Eklund is looking to build off of a strong campaign last year, where he scored 16 goals and 45 points in his first full NHL season. With their top six mostly accounted for, the Sharks opted not to tender a qualifying offer to restricted free agent forward Filip Zadina.

The 24 year-old winger is now an unrestricted free agent and looking for his third NHL organization. Playing in 72 games with the Sharks last year in his lone season in San Jose, he recorded a career-high 13 goals playing a bit over 13 minutes per game. Originally selected in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Zadina projected to be a speedy scoring winger capable of 25-40 goals. Five NHL seasons into his career, he's not a top-six forward, but he is a perfect option for a professional tryout (PTO) contract as teams finalize their rosters for training camps.

There is a chance that Zadina hasn't received a fair evaluation due to the expectations of his draft position. Over five seasons in the NHL, he's only played two seasons of 70 or more games. In both seasons he produced nearly identical offensive output, scoring 13 goals and 23 points last season and 10 goals and 24 points in 2021-2022 with the Red Wings. There in lies the truth of the kind of player Zadina is. He isn't a top-six winger and he isn't a forward you play 17 or more minutes a night.

But if you stop trying to force him into an elite offensive role, you may see that he can be a valuable contributor in small doses. He's proven that when playing regularly, he's a bottom-six winger who can chip in every now and then. There's players far worse than that under contract already or expected to be invited to training camps in a few weeks. It may not happen in the NHL, but there's plenty of teams who should take a shot on Filip Zadina this season.

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