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Quick Hits: The Contracts Edition

In Red Wings Land

How Detroit Red Wings have fared in free agency over the years: Hits and misses | Freep

Hits

1. D Brian Rafalski

Signed: 2007 (5 years, $30 million)

A master at tape-to-tape passes, Rafalski produced 204 points in 292 regular-season games and 40 points in 63 playoff games before retiring early because of injuries.

Hard to argue with the Rafalski signing as the biggest hit. He was excellent during the Red Wings’ two trips to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 and 2009.

My only issue with this list of hits and misses is that Daniel Cleary’s contracts aren’t listed as both a hit and a miss.

Around the League

AFTER THE LUCIC TRADE, HERE ARE THE NHL’S TOP 10 ‘UNTRADEABLE’ CONTRACTS | The Hockey News

9. Justin Abdelkader, Detroit: The Red Wings are on the hook for four more years with a $4.25-million cap hit. That’s an awful lot of money to pay a guy who gives you little more than quality leadership and serves as a mentor for the young players in the organization. Abdelkader posted a career-low with six goals and tied his worst season with just 19 points in 2018-19. Abdelkader was once an effective two-way winger, but at 32, those days are behind him.

If anyone has the ability to can get Abdelkader’s contract off the books, it’s Steve Yzerman.

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