Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman continues his cleaning of the team’s cap situation, this time placing Justin Abdelkader on waivers for the purpose of a buyout. Abdelkader has three seasons remaining on his contract, meaning the Red Wings will incur cap charges for the next six years. Those charges will look like this:
- 2020-21: $1,805,556
- 2021-22: $2,305,556
- 2022-23: $2,305,556
- 2023-24: $1,055,556
- 2024-25: $1,055,556
- 2025-26: $1,055,556
There was a time not too long ago when Abdelkader looked like exactly the kind of powerhouse winger that every team was looking for. In 2015-16 he scored 19 goals and 42 points while racking up 120 penalty minutes and 207 hits. A wrecking ball on the ice with a scoring touch around the net was extremely effective and it landed him a new seven-year extension during that season.
Unfortunately when you play that style, if the goal-scoring falls off you’re suddenly just an overpaid fourth liner. That’s basically exactly what happened to Abdelkader, who almost immediately struggled under his new contract. Since the start of the 2016-17 season he has scored just 26 goals in 259 games despite averaging more than 15 minutes a night. Only 15 of those have come at even-strength and Abdelkader failed to score a single goal in his 49 games during the 2019-20 season.
That’s not to say this move comes without a bit of surprise. The Red Wings are not in any sort of cap trouble and could have kept Abdelkader on the roster as an overpaid veteran presence. But Yzerman has a clear plan to sweep out all the bad money and install his own vision of the Red Wings.
With Abdelkader gone, Dylan Larkin is the only player in the organization signed to a one-way contract through the 2022-23 season. Every other contract is either an entry-level deal or will expire by the summer of 2022. That freedom will allow Yzerman to do anything he wants to the roster, likely relying on the draft-and-develop strategy that served him so well in Tampa Bay.
Does this make sense to anyone? Why would a rebuilding team with cap space buy out a veteran presence? Even if he’s a pilot why buy him out put him in the press box, no sense in paying him for six years when you may need that cap room.
*pilon
Probably so they can evaluate younger talent and give him an opportunity to actually play somewhere else.
@backhandinbaptist – Pilon would be Richie, “Pylon” would be Abdelkader… But, if he was a pilot, who reported seeing a UFO, he would be up in the press box, “flying a desk” as they like to say. ;)
Haha “flying a desk”. Vintage Abdelkader!
He had three years left at $4,250,000 per season. Red Wings have seven RFA, and only 15 players under contract for next season. It makes sense to clear space and save cap-room. The Weiss buyout comes off the books after this next season. Helm, Staal, Nemeth, Bernier after next as well. There is more than enough cap space, and short-term the Wings need to save salary with a fixed cap.
I just fail to see why they would take on Staal’s salary if they were worried about cap space. Albeit staal is far more useful than Abdelkader. Fair enough.
Bc he’s a straight up bum. As soon as he got paid, he lost his fire.
2nd rounder
Hit the road jack. Don’t ya come back no more no more no more no more!
Why not wait till next season? Unless they plan on using the cap space this year or have more trades coming so needed the roster spot
Welcome to Edmonton, Justin.
Can I get a side of NO with that?
You can see this happening all over the NHL.
Long term contracts made when the cap space was going to sky-rise every year.
Now, managers have to control contracts (3-4 year length) and ensure they get the right people with bridge deals.
DRW have all kinds of cap money. Abdelkader was bought out because he was comfortable playing crappy and getting paid $5,000 a game – play or not!
You need to get the young, hungry guys up and watch them play – harder – for 1/10 the money!
You will not see 5-6-7 year deals for 30 year old players any longer.
DRW has so many guys to evaluate this year (12-13 either stay or go ) plus the 10 new ones coming in by Friday after the draft.
Certainly, a team does not need an anchor around the neck like Abdelkader. Now, send Nielsen to the AHL to ride the bus, and bring up the guys that want to play.
It will definitely become a young mans game
I second the motion to send Nielsen to the AHL to ride the bus, but what happens if there is no AHL season. Maybe this is why Abby was bought out instead of sending him to the AHL.
Good point!
OK – lets just put him on a bus, and give him lunch money.
Let the Yzerman-plan work!