Unsurprisingly, Filip Zadina was ignored in the run-off.

Yesterday, the Detroit Red Wings submitted the name of forward Filip Zadina to the ballot.

There was a lot of talk about it, because the young man had taken it badly not to have been drafted by the Habs, and had said he wanted to make the club pay by scoring often.

But correct me if I’m wrong, but he doesn’t exactly have the reputation of a Habs Killer. And I say that knowing full well that no, I’m not wrong on this one, we agree.

Anyway. All that to say that in the end, he wasn’t claimed.

What you have to understand is that we’re in an NHL with a ceiling that hasn’t gone up much in recent years. Seeing a two-year, $1.825M contract available (for a bad NHL player) is not attractive.

And as young and promising as he may have been in the past, he’s not delivering right now. He has 50 total points in his last three seasons, which speaks volumes about his development.

As far as I’m concerned, there was never any chance of him being selected. Why not? Because he’s under contract for more than a year.

With a few exceptions, players with contracts of more than one year who are selected in the lottery are normally players who earn around a million dollars. This is notably the case for Johnathan Kovacevic.

That’s why I never believed in Zadina’s departure from Detroit 24 hours ago. After all, a club that would take him couldn’t simply fix its mistake by placing his entire contract in the minors.

That’s why I think Cayden Primeau, despite his two-year contract, could well be called up for the ballot this fall. He earns $890,900 per season.

The difference is significant.

So I think Zadina’s best bet will be to play like a guy worth his money, question of forcing Steve Yzerman’s hand to make room for him in his lineup.

In bursts

– Now that’s talent.

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– Lots of one-year contracts in the NHL. [BPM Sports]

– Of note.

– Sylvain Favreau is happy to be in Drummondville. [BPM Sports]

– Tailor-made for Toronto.

“Max Domi… He’ll do anything to stay a Leaf, he never wants to leave here.”

In the season finale of 32 Thoughts, @JeffMarek & @FriedgeHNIC go through all free agency moves and what to keep an eye on during the off-season.

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– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 4, 2023