Filip Zadina reveals new secret weapon

The Detroit Red Wings are officially welcoming back forward Filip Zadina tonight for the first time since November 5 when he was felled by a blocked shot against the New York Islanders resulting in a broken bone in his leg. Coming out of tonight's lineup in his place is forward Dominik Kubalik, who is in his first year with the Red Wings and initially was producing steady points but has since gone cold. 

In the meantime, Zadina will be looking to make an impact in his return to action, and he's got a bit of a new secret weapon.

"I’m just going to play, and enjoy it," Zadina said. "I changed the curve on my stick, so I’m excited to shoot the puck again."

Oh, and his other confidence boosting method? A new four-legged member of the family. 

"I got a puppy, so I was full-time taking care of my puppy, and talking to my mental coach, and stuff like that, working on that side of hockey," Zadina said. "I had a lot of time to think and work on it and get my mental strength a little bit better and I think I’ve done a good job with it. I do feel strong mentally and physically."

For head coach Derek Lalonde, he's still keeping a positive outlook on Zadina's potential despite underwhelming numbers. 

"I think he’s probably caught in between a little bit himself," Lalonde said. "You love the potential, the fact he scored at lower levels. Obviously he has not, in his 160-ish games here. But he can skate. I think a little bit of it is confidence. If he is a shoot-first mentality guy, I think that would help his overall game. When he is skating, he has some offensive confidence, he is a guy that can push some offense. Statistically, it hasn’t been there yet in his career, but you see flashes of it in his game. So a little more consistency in his game.

"The good thing with us becoming more healthy up front, I like our depth. Minutes are pretty spread around. I think he can fit anywhere. He’s going to get a good center and some guys that are doing pretty well no matter he goes."