Detroit – Filip Zadina finished the Red Wings’ preseason opener Tuesday night in Pittsburgh with two points, which was notable for any number of reasons.
But we might as well start with the point that his new head coach made at the start of training camp last week.
“I meant it,” Derek Lalonde said, “when I told everyone there’s gonna be a fresh start.”
So the fact that Zadina, the Wings’ seemingly snake-bitten sniper, already has started filling a clean sheet with positive plays should count for something.
Especially coming on the heels of a strong showing in Traverse City, where Zadina looked every bit like a player that’s not just worth keeping around – as the Wings opted to do over the summer – but also one worth counting on to play a significant role this season in Detroit.