Sheng Peng
What do the San Jose Sharks want from Filip Zadina?
“I bring the goals,” Zadina asserted, right after the Detroit Red Wings made him the sixth-overall pick of the 2018 Draft.
That’s what the Sharks are hoping for too, after taking a one-year, $1.1 million flier on the 23-year-old UFA winger last month.
Zadina couldn’t bring it in Motown, scoring just 28 goals over 190 NHL games in parts of five seasons.
So what’s going to help him fill the net in San Jose?
SPORTLOGiQ micro-stats, along with other analytics, offer some clues.
Not Just About Power Play
It’s not just about putting Zadina on the power play, though that would be a good start for the San Jose Sharks.
Last year, Zadina averaged a career-low 00:48 a night on the PP. Previously, he had never averaged less than 1:50 a game on the man advantage.
Now granted, the Red Wings, after adding David Perron and Dominik Kubalik last summer, had more power play options than ever.
But here’s a stat that caught my eye: Zadina, in 23:58 on the PP last year, had just one shot. That’s not a misprint. Compare that to 2021-22, when he had 33 shots in 137:24 on the man advantage.
Zadina wasn’t even trying to shoot. Last season, he had two shot attempts on the power play, in contrast to 58 in 2021-22.
My best guess for why Zadina was so gunshy?
Watching tape and browsing through MLive’s Ansar Khan’s regular notation of Detroit’s PP set-up, it looks like the Red Wings moved the Czech sniper off his trademark on the flank spot and used him mostly on the bumper.
With all the traffic, your team and otherwise, in the high slot of a power play, it’s a position that demands quick decisions.
For whatever reason, Zadina did not look as comfortable there, and a shooter didn’t shoot.
It’s not as if the triggerman hasn’t had some success on the PP flank at this level either: In his first four seasons, Zadina actually led all Red Wings forwards with 2.19 Power Play Goals Per 60.
It’s also worth noting that Zadina was still shooting regularly at 5-on-5 last year: In fact, he led the team with 8.31 Shots Per 60. That figure was also a career-high.
So if you’re the San Jose Sharks, and you want to get the best of Zadina? It’s not just about using Zadina on the power play, it’s using him right.
Right flank, that is, so the left-hander can pound the puck with his one-timer.
Many One-Timers
Speaking of that one-timer, Zadina scored three of his career-high 10 goals in 2021-22 with that shot. That season, per SPORTLOGiQ, he was third among Detroit forwards with 0.68 One-Timers Per 20 in All Situations.
Last year?
He was 10th with 0.27 One Timers Per 20. That’s a significant drop-off.
So the San Jose Sharks have to put the 23-year-old in position, and not just on the power play, to use perhaps his greatest offensive weapon.
On the Rush
Zadina also appears to be more effective on the rush.
In 2021-22, he was third among Red Wings forwards with 0.64 Rush Chances Per 20. That dropped to 0.47 and fifth last year.
This does appear to be an off-season target for the Sharks, to improve their pace. Zadina, Anthony Duclair, and even Givani Smith should help in that cause.
Of course, Zadina is no Duclair, who’s surpassed 20 goals three times. And they appear to play a similar game.
But if the San Jose Sharks want Zadina to find the goals, the reclamation project will likely have to re-discover his confidence in these three areas.
Non-SPORTLOGiQ stats from Natural Stat Trick and Evolving Hockey.