(WXYZ) — Red Wings forward Filip Zadina talked to reporters Thursday, two days after the Red Wings made him a healthy scratch before their 6-2 win against the Sharks.
"I was disappointed for sure and I was pissed," he said. "But I feel better than I felt a week ago when we played those games. I'm excited to be back and get things going again."
Zadina went without a goal during December. He was brought into the league as a scoring winner, drafted in the first round by a Red Wings organization in need of elite scoring.
He said being off with a COVID break affected him, and he's focused on being a better player.
"I see him as more than just a shooter," Jeff Blashill said on Thursday.
The 2018 first-rounder has four goals and six assists in 32 games. He dropped from the team's top line in camp to its second line, and now down to the third line.
“I don’t think it ever hurts a guy every once in a while to hit the reset button, kind of take some pressure off and just go get it," Blashill said after the game on Tuesday. "When Z gets back in the lineup, I’m hoping he can come back charged up and play real good hockey.”
