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In this edition of the hotstove we discuss whether or not Justin Abdelkader is worth the contract the Detroit Red Wings gave him ($4.25 million per for seven years).
Todd Cordell
I do like Abdelkader's game but I do not like this contract.
In today's NHL $4.25 million per for a middle-6 forward who can play in all situations is about par for the course. The problem I have with this deal is the term.
Abdelkader will be 29 when his seven-year extension kicks in. By that point we will have already seen the best from him as he'll be exiting his prime and beginning to decline.
There is little to n chance Abdelkader can out perform his contract and as each year passes it will be more likely he'll underperform.
Again, I don't have a problem with the player and can live with the dollar figure but seven years is much too long; especially for someone who plays such a taxing style.
John Jaeckel
Meh.
Seems a little high, but might be one of those longer term deal where the average cap hit looks pretty reasonable 3-4 years from now—if the cap and salaries overall go up.
A comparable player in some ways is St. Louis' Troy Brouwer, who makes a little over half a million dollars less per season (although he also is UFA this summer, and will probably get some kind of raise). Brouwer scores more consistently, is maybe more purely physical, and is a capable face-off guy; Abdelkader is definitely more of an agitator. But with that, comes the constant possibility of suspension, as well as a bit of an injury history (concussion a couple of years ago, a surgery last year) that has to be considered on a deal that takes a player to age 35.
I don't hate this deal; I don't love it either.
James Tanner
Abdelkader is a difficult player to assess - he hits and plays the kind of game that endears him to fans and is fun to watch, but which also tends to be a kind of style that leads to overrating a player.
He scored 23 goals last year, but it was double his career high at age 27 with a shooting percentage of 14% which was way higher than his normal career average.
At the same time, he's pretty much been a positive possession player for his whole career, which is good. However, Mike Babcock seems to have a style which preaches possession and it seems to have left Detroit with him. The coaching change has so far led to him being a negative possession player for the first time in his career. I'd want to wait a bit on this before making any judgements , but it's at least somewhat of a concern .
Ultimately, I suppose around $5 million isn't out of line with what other players similar to Abdukader get paid and the Wings get a lower cap hit by going long-term, so in that sense, it's OK.
However, given the age of the Red Wings best players and the fact that Abdukader has more than likely already had his best year, I would have traded him rather than sign him to this deal. A bad move overall, I think.
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