BOSTON — Filip Zadina is an unrestricted free agent.
The 23-year old was waived Thursday by the Detroit Red Wings for the purpose of contract termination. He had two years remaining on his contract and was owed $4.56 million, but was unhappy with his situation in Detroit and is betting on himself.
Zadina had already asked for a trade and was placed on waivers, but there were no takers because of his contract status.
Now, he gets a fresh start elsewhere at a more reasonable price point, and the Boston Bruins should be at the front of the line to secure his services.
The Bruins will already have a different look next season, having been forced to trade Taylor Hall and after being unable to sign Tyler Bertuzzi due to salary cap tightness.
They've already signed veterans Milan Lucic, James van Riemsdyk, and Kevin Shattenkirk to bargain deals in an attempt to remain competitive in 2023-24, and all three are well past their primes.
Why not then take a floater on a player like Zadina, who has far more upside and could become a core player moving forward?
There were many reasons Zadina was drafted sixth overall in 2018, a year in which the Bruins were without a first round selection of their own. He's a highly skilled player with an uncanny ability to score - and the Bruins will be in need of goals after losing Hall and Bertuzzi.
The Bruins haven't had many first round picks recently, and this would be a perfect way to recoup talent.
It could be a situation similar to Pavel Zacha - a high pick who wasn't quite a fit with his original team and finds new life in Boston. It certainly helps that the Bruins feature fellow Czechs in Zacha, David Pastrnk, Jakub Zboril, Jakub Lauko, and perhaps David Krejci.
Zadina could feel well at home with this group.
Yes, they still have to sign Jeremy Swayman and Trent Frederic, not to mention leave room for the hoped for returns of Patrice Bergeron and Krejci, but general manager Don Sweeney can easily bury one of the recent contracts signed by older players in order to make room for Zadina.
It could be a low-risk, high-reward, and Zadina's bet on himself could pay off when the cap goes up next summer.
Seems like a win-win.