It's back to the AHL for Filip Zadina -- maybe for the rest of the season.
The Red Wings reassigned their top forward prospect to Grand Rapids on Wednesday after an eight-game stint in the NHL.
It's likely a move to avoid burning a year of Zadina's entry-level contract, which will extend through 2021-22 if he plays in fewer than 10 games for Detroit season. The Wings brought him up for a similar nine-game stint last year.
This year, Zadina was better. He made quicker decisions with the puck and generally looked more at home in the NHL. He recorded assists in three of his last four games, with two of them coming on the power play.
"I think the reason I'm feeling better is that I got stronger and quicker on the ice," Zadina said last week. "It's probably getting me more confident."
(RELATED: Zadina Wants To 'Show (The Fans) They're Right')
Jeff Blashill, likewise, took note of Zadina's progress.
"The important thing to recognize is he is making strides forward. He is a better player today than when he was a year ago at this time. That is the biggest key for us," Blashill said.
But with the Red Wings mired in a 12-game losing streak -- Thursday will mark a full month since their last win -- and Zadina only playing about 14:00 per night, Grand Rapids is probably a better place for him to be.
Zadina, who turned 20 last month, was playing on Detroit's third line, mostly with Frans Nielsen and Darren Helm, and the first power-play unit with Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, Robby Fabbri and Dennis Cholowski.
As for the possibility of elevating Zadina to the first line, where Fabbri has taken the place of the injured Anthony Mantha, Blashill said last week that Zadina has to earn the opportunity.
"I can't say Zadina has outplayed Fabbri. I think you have to make sure you do it on merit," Blashill said. "If he's outplayed him, great. But that's not what's happened so far.
"I think Filip's come in and done a nice job. He's played solid hockey. If he is in a position where he's dominating and says that I'm better than the wingers that are up there, that's awesome. Then he wins the spot. I think we'd all be excited about that."
For now, it's back to Grand Rapids, where Zadina will look to build on the strides he made in the NHL.
