When I found out I was going to be writing about Filip Zadina, I thought I was covering an out-of-reach prospect.

Enter Bob McKenzie.

If you haven’t heard the latest edition of the BobCast, he states that the majority of scouts he talked to have Zadina falling out of the top-5. Wow.

Throughout the year, Zadina was the consensus 3rd-overall pick. This season, he scored 82 points (44-38-82) in 57 games – this was also his rookie season. Let’s be clear, Zadina has done nothing wrong to fall out of the top-3; the other players around him have played their way into the same conversation.

Zadina is an elite scoring winger and he has an elite shot. Zadina makes any team better.

Projected to go 3rd overall among North American skaters.

From Elite Prospects: “Filip Zadina is a dynamic offensive forward that plays a complete game. A deft and agile skater, he exhibits explosive mobility both up and down the ice. In all three zones, he proactively looks to create problems for the opposition. His awareness is indicative of his high level of hockey sense, and he knows how to make plays and scoring chances materialize. Has a goal scorer’s toolbox, complete with the individual puck skills that one comes to expect from today’s elite offensive players. The accurate release on his shot is noteworthy and is a defining aspect of his offensive capabilities. Defensively sound, he disrupts lanes and pressures the opposition to make hasty decisions; he is tenacious in pursuit of puck control and transitions up-ice naturally. All-in-all, Zadina can be categorized as both a two-way forward with a well-rounded game and a dominant offensive force”.

How do teams pass on a player like this? More incredibly, apparently the Wings have a legit shot at this guy. With all this being said, it is more likely Zadina will be drafted in the top-5 than not.

All in all, I’m not holding my breath that Zadina is passed on by both the Senators and Coyotes. However, Detroit will be considered the early winners of the draft if Zadina falls to them.

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