Veteran forward Frans Nielsen was bought out by the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday morning. Over two years, this move will save the team $4,750,000. The news was broken by CapFriendly on Twitter.
With the #Red Wings settling their Arb case with Adam Erne 4 days ago, the club had access to a second buyout window.
As a result, Detroit has opted to buyout 37 year old forward Frans Nielsen.
Buyout Breakdown:
2021-22: $4,250,000
2022-23: $500,000https://t.co/PuBFpDdokW pic.twitter.com/vuFFa24fUe— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) August 19, 2021
Frans Nielsen Bought Out by Red Wings
With 15 years in the big leagues under his belt, Nielsen has been around NHL hockey for many years. That being said, he has not been playing fantastic hockey for the last few seasons. Only playing 29 games in the 2020-21 season, Nielsen put up a measly six points, only scoring one time. Averaging less than a shot per game and just barely over 12 minutes of ice time per game, Nielsen was essentially a non-factor on the ice. His advanced statistics don’t look much better. Sitting at a 40.3% Corsi For rating and an even uglier -8.3 Relative Corsi, Nielsen was a detriment to the Wings.
In his long career on NHL ice, he played 10 seasons with the New York Islanders and five with Detroit. Over that time, he played 925 games, scoring 167 goals, dishing out 306 assists to rack up 473 points. Interestingly, he had fewer minutes in penalties than he did goals scored throughout his entire career.
So What Now for the Red Wings?
It’s no secret the Red Wings have been atrocious for the past few seasons. However, they are slowly coming back to their dominant form of the early 2010s. They’ve made some big splashes in free agency, acquiring Pius Suter after him and the Chicago Blackhawks could not reach a deal. Jacob Vrana and Tyler Bertuzzi re-signed with the team, encouraged by the future of the Hockeytown club. They’ve also signed some prospects to NHL contracts, a sign their team is young and ready to play. Led by captain Dylan Larkin and general manager Steve Yzerman, the Red Wings are looking to make a comeback.
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