The Detroit Red Wings have placed forward Filip Zadina on waivers for the purpose of contract termination.

One young forward is set to hit the open market in a decidedly unexpected way. 

The Detroit Red Wings placed forward Filip Zadina on unconditional waivers on Thursday, paving the way for both sides to agree on a termination of his contract, which had two years remaining at an average annual value of $1.825 million. The decision sees Zadina forgoing $4.56 million in salary in order to seek a fresh start, and, once finalized, will have the 23-year-old hit the open market. 

It's a stunning end to Zadina's tenure in Detroit. Selected sixth overall by the club in the 2018 NHL draft, Zadina could just never quite put together his entire package of intriguing skills, with the Czech native racking up a mere 28 goals and 40 assists for 68 points in 190 career games thus far spread across five seasons. 

There is a reason Zadina was drafted so high, though. The 23-year-old has skill to burn and offensive instincts that can't have up and vanished since his days as a much-hyped prospect. Perhaps a clean slate with a new organization could be just what he needs to live up to that potential he has yet to tap into. 

Zadina is certainly betting on himself to do so, walking away from nearly $5 million in guaranteed money to find a situation that suits him better. 

Whether that bet pays off remains to be seen.