Welcome to a new summer series on Last Word On Hockey. In preparation for the NHL Expansion Draft on June 21st, LWOH’s Detroit Red Wings Department will be going in depth on every Wing that is eligible to be picked by the newest NHL squad, the Vegas Golden Knights, who will begin play in the fall. The team will likely follow the seven-forward, three-defensemen, and one goalie format of protecting players, and this series will follow suit with that. For a brush-up on the expansion draft rules, click this link. Without further adieu, we will continue this series with fan divider Justin Abdelkader.
Justin Abdelkader
Left Wing, Shoots Left
6’2″, 218 lbs
Age: 30 (This Past February 25)
Cap hit: $4.25 million, six years remaining
Reasons for Protection
Mickey Redmond can stay entertained. That’s it.
Wait, there’s more. This feels like a protection based on the management’s trust in veteran experience and tenure, and Abdelkader carries a *ton* of it. He is one of the few on the team to play in a Stanley Cup Final, he’s played with grinders like Kirk Maltby, Kris Draper and legends like Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk. Given his contract, Ken Holland sees him as the next one to pass this Red Wing Tradition and Way down to the next generation and he paid him handsomely as such with the term to prove it. He was the only Red Wing that threw big hits and fought for his teammates until this year, when the team itself got involved in the most fights they’ve had (25) since 2003-2004.
Reasons for Exposing
Abdelkader is one of those heart songs that General Manager Ken Holland keeps singing. Pouring money into “veteran stock” that wreaks of Worldcom is getting old. Abdelkader did score 23 goals in 2014-15 and 19 in 2015-16, but one must remember who was on the team then. Any guesses? Yes, it was the Russian. He scored a whopping seven this season in the first year without Datsyuk and in the first year of his seven-season contract. He did miss 18 games and played almost two full minutes off of last year’s ice time, but he was second-last on the team only to Luke Glendening in Corsi-for per 60 at 48.27% and that 13.6% combined shooting percentage the last two years had to correct itself sometime. Vegas taking his contract may seem unlikely, but it doesn’t hurt to try and unload it to kickstart the rebuild in a positive direction.
Verdict
Expose Him.
Abdelkader looks like fool’s gold. Two good seasons powered by one good month of March in 2015 made many think that he’d be a great power forward for years to come. Now, it looks like another contract that will haunt this team for years, unless they can somehow unload it. There are more important younger and cheaper assets to protect, but, given the loyalty factor, this feels like one that could go either way. On our list, he’d be exposed based on merit and monetary baggage.
Check back tomorrow as Niklas Kronwall and his rather unhealthy knees will be dissected.
Updated Protection List:
Henrik Zetterberg (May 25th)
Mike Green (May 26th)
Exposed:
Justin Abdelkader
Main Photo:
