Ex-Red Wing playing himself back into the NHL with Spengler Cup performance

With HC Davos beating a group of U.S. collegiate players, Davos had a standout forward in the midst of the match. Ex-Detroit Red Wings forward Filip Zadina put on a clinic for the Swiss-based team he plays for now.

Zadina helped defeat the US College select players in a 6-3 victory, scoring a pair of points near the end, in addition to a game-winning goal.

While we digress, we know it's against collegiate players, at the international level, that is how NHL prospects are gauged against their peers.

With his two-point performance, is a return to the NHL a legitimate option?

While he's been a fixture in the HC Davos lineup, his performance in the Spengler Cup could give some general managers in the NHL whiplash, as they look for depth talent to fill the roster.

It seems like a ridiculous notion to assume that Zadina could find a new home right away, but given how well he's performed in Switzerland, perhaps he could find a new home.

Given how Ilya Kovalchuk and Vitali Kravtsov jumped back and forth from the KHL and the NHL, does he deserve another shot?

We've seen him fined for embarrassing reasons in Switzerland, i.e., for diving.

In 2025-26, he's scored 29 points (17-12) in 30 games for Davos and last played for the San Jose Sharks in the NHL.

He played 72 games for the Sharks in 2023-24 and scored 23 points (13-10) on a rebuilding team.

The former 6th overall pick by the Red Wings could leverage himself into a new contract if his agent is good enough, we think. But I wouldn't count on a rush back soon.

He's reached his full potential in Switzerland, but could he pull away from what he built there?