Sabres expected to sign former first-round pick to PTO

Right winger Filip Zadina is expected to attend training camp with the Sabres on a professional tryout agreement, reports Pavel Barta of Denik Sport.

Zadina, 25 in November, has never made the impact most expected when the Red Wings selected him sixth overall in the 2018 draft. Until 2023, Zadina had mediocre results in a bottom-six role with Detroit, consistently shooting well below 10 percent and posting average possession metrics. 

Over those five seasons, he made 190 appearances for Detroit with 68 points, 0.36 per game. His -51 rating, 7.4 percent shooting rate and 0.62 hits per game were nothing to write home about, although he did manage to keep his head above water defensively with a 0.2 relative CF% at even strength.

After being released by the Red Wings last summer via a mutual contract termination, walking away from over $4.5M in salary, he landed a one-year, $1.1M deal with the Sharks. 

Nothing changed for the Czech winger in San Jose, though. Without much of a supporting cast, he did manage to score a career-high 13 goals in 72 games, but his 23 points fell one short of his best mark with Detroit and his -44 rating was the worst of his career while averaging a conservative 13:20 per game. 

Most blame can be placed on the team’s porous defense and inconsistent goaltending, but Zadina’s 43.3 CF% and 39.0 xGF% at even strength were below the team average.

As such, the Sharks opted not to issue him a qualifying offer when his deal expired this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent for the second year. Still, without a contract, Zadina isn’t giving up on an NHL dream, fishing for PTO offers rather than heading to Europe.

For the Sabres, it’s a sensible low-risk option for some depth scoring with professional experience. He has strong numbers in the minors, last posting 16 points in 21 games with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins in 2019-2020. He also had a strong showing with Czechia’s HC Ocelari Trinec in 2020-2021 while on loan during the pandemic, scoring eight goals and 14 points in 17 games. His shooting percentage continuously drying up upon reaching the NHL remains an enigma.

If Zadina lands a deal out of camp, it’ll likely be a two-way pact. After the Sabres reshaped their forward corps this summer with a specific eye on filling out their bottom six, there isn’t a clear roster spot for him if he signs. He’ll likely land on waivers and begin the season with their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. There, he’ll play alongside Buffalo’s crop of next-wave players and compete for call-ups with other depth wingers like Jiri Kulich, Isak Rosen and Lukas Rousek.