Quinn Hughes stardom keeps making Red Wings’ Zadina pick look worse

In the final draft of the Ken Holland era in Detroit, the 2018 NHL Draft is one Red Wings fans would like to forget. The Red Wings selected Filip Zadina with the sixth overall selection, one pick before superstar defenseman Quinn Hughes was selected by the Vancouver Canucks.

Zadina's NHL career never went as planned, and he spent this past season in Europe with HC Davos of the Switzerland National League. Zadina will remain in Switzerland for the immediate future, as he inked a two-year contract extension with HC Davos earlier this week.

Looking back, the impact of the Red Wings whiffing on Zadina and missing out on Hughes still haunts Red Wings fans to this day. Hughes has cemented himself as one of the top blueliners in the league, while Zadina put together a lackluster career in Detroit and is out of the NHL.

In total, Zadina played in 190 games for the Red Wings from 2018-2023. He scored 28 goals and dished out 40 assists in that stretch, and his highest point total came in 2021-22 when he produced 24 points in 74 games. Needless to say, that kind of production is not what Detroit fans wanted from the No. 6 overall pick.

Zadina requested a trade in 2023, but drew limited interest due to his significant contract relative to his underperforming play. He was placed on waivers, and went unclaimed.

He ended up in San Jose with the Sharks, where he totaled 23 points and posted a minus-44 rating in 72 games during the 2023-24 season. After the season, he left the NHL and signed a free agent contract with HC Davos, where he will now be through the 2028 season.

Quinn Hughes in Hockeytown...What could have been

Hughes' Michigan ties would have made him a perfect fit in Hockeytown. Hughes joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in 2015, and played college hockey at the University of Michigan for the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. As a Wolverine, he totaled 62 points (10 goals, 52 assists) over 69 games.

Still at just 25 years of age, Hughes has orchestrated an impressive NHL career. He has emerged as one of the top offensive defenseman in hockey, and seems to keep getting better and better.

He has averaged nearly a point per game over 6-plus NHL seasons, as he boasts 409 points (59 goals, 350 assists) in 433 career games. He finished second in Calder Trophy voting in 2020, won the Norris Trophy in 2024, and is a five-time all-star selection.

This past season, Hughes totaled 76 points on 16 goals and 60 assists in 68 games. He has averaged over a point per game over the past three seasons, collecting 244 points in 228 games and posting a rating of plus-55 in that span.

Yzerman continues to lean on the draft as Red Wings fans yearn for playoff hockey

Since taking over in 2019, Steve Yzerman has made it clear that he is building the Detroit Red Wings back up through the draft and player development. Yzerman's first draft selection in Hockeytown was Moritz Seider, who was taken sixth overall in the 2019 NHL Draft. Yzerman then selected Lucas Raymond fourth overall a year later in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Both Seider and Raymond have been great successes so far in their young careers, and they figure to be key pieces of the Red Wings franchise moving forward. Other Yzerman draft picks, such as defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka and goaltender Sebastian Cossa, are highly-touted prospects who could see some time at the NHL level this season.

Yzerman continues to put and emphasis on the draft, as he held on to the 13th overall selection in the 2025 NHL Draft and selected Carter Bear.