In the vast majority of cases, when a player is called up for his first taste of the NHL, the advice is to keep it simple. Take care of your responsibilities. Play within yourself. Don’t try to grab the spotlight.

In the case of Filip Zadina, the message given to him was exactly the opposite. The Detroit Red Wings want the 19-year-old right winger, the sixth overall pick in the 2018 NHL entry draft, to stand out in the crowd. To creates offensive chances. To strike fear into the opposition.

“I said to him, ‘You’re an offensive player,’” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill explained. “‘If I want a guy that just plays great defense, we can go call somebody else up. You’re here to create offense. That doesn’t mean you play careless but you’ve got to be dangerous.’”

Zadinas first NHL goal was a piece of magic, a slam-bang one timer against the Colorado Avalanche. He picked up his second NHL point with an assist in Detroit’s 3-2 loss Saturday to the Tampa Bay Lightning. As the Wings prepared to conclude their two-game road trip Sunday at Florida against the Panthers, for the most part, Zadina is living in that danger zone, just as the Wings requested he should.

“He’s gotten more dangerous as he’s stayed here,” Blashill said. “I think the depth in his game is pretty good for a young player. He stops on pucks, he blocks shots, he doesn’t circle it a ton. He’s not perfect but he’s ahead of the game that way than a lot of young players.

“I just felt like when I’ve seen him both in the NHL and the American League, at times he hasn’t been dangerous and for a guy who’s an offensive guy, I thought he took a huge step. Certainly, I thought Arizona was better but Colorado was a huge step, I thought he was very dangerous most of the night and I thought (Thursday) night (against the New York Rangers) he showed a lot of signs of being dangerous as well.”

Lineup Changes
The Wings will shuffle their defense for Sunday’s game. Luke Witkowski is out and Madison Bowey, a healthy scratch Saturday, draws back in against the Panthers.

I think he’s done a good job of taking steps forward,” Blashill said. “I thought the first game for him was a tough game for all of us, including himself and I think he’s gotten better each game.”

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