Report: Maple Leafs, Canadiens Among Those With Interest in Filip Zadina

We heard over the past week that unrestricted free agent Filip Zadina had three teams interested in signing him ahead of training camp. The names of those clubs have emerged, according to Czech journalist Pavel Barta.

Barta reports that the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs and Colorado Avalanche are now zeroing in on the 24-year-old. We should keep in mind, though, that the same reporter dropped news last week that the former San Jose Sharks winger would be heading to the Buffalo Sabres for a camp tryout, and that was flatly denied by his agent.

The Canadiens make the most intriguing potential interested party, as they passed on Zadina at the 2018 NHL Draft at No. 3 (he eventually went No. 6 to the Detroit Red Wings).

After the draft, as recounted by TVA Sports, Zadina laid into the Habs, saying he would "fill their net" in the years to come. Of course, Zadina hasn't done much 'net-filling' in his six NHL seasons, with just 41 goals total over that time in 262 games.

Granted, he did have his "best" season in 2023-24, "filling the net" 13 times in 72 games with the Sharks. He also posted a woeful minus-44 plus/minus rating, but on a very woeful San Jose team, to be fair.

Bottom line, however, is that Zadina might have to settle for a PTO (professional tryout offer) after six years of not living up to that No. 6 overall billing.

We do know that the Leafs and Avalanche are both interested in adding some secondary scoring for their respective bottom six, so either of those clubs do make some sense for the Czech winger.