The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Filip Zadina, the No. 6 overall pick in 2018, on waivers Monday.
Red Wings executive vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman said the 23-year-old asked for a trade through his agent, but the team was unable to find a suitable deal.
“I tried to find a place for him to play, somebody’s that interested in Filip, maybe give him [a better] opportunity [to play]. I haven’t been able to do that,” Yzerman said Monday. “So, I put him on waivers today, I’m trying to give him the opportunity to go somewhere an organization if he wants to play more. We’ll see if that happens.”
Zadina played in 190 games with the Red Wings, tallying 68 points (28 goals, 40 assists) and 22 penalty minutes.
Sidelined part of the 2022-23 season with a lower-body injury, Zadina played in just 30 games and recorded three goals and four assists.
“Unfortunately, Filip last year, he missed a lot of time due to injury,” Yzerman said. “I thought in the 30-ish games he played I saw growth in his game.”
The Czech signed a three-year, $5.475 million contract extension with Detroit last August.
Zadina can be claimed by any NHL team without the Red Wings receiving compensation.
Information from Reuters was used in this report.