The question here is twofold: How aggressive will Yzerman be in this rebuild? And much cultural worth does he see in keeping an alternate captain like Abdelkader — a leader in the room and in the community — around a core that is getting younger by the autumn.
I don’t think the Red Wings buying out Justin Abdelkader’s contract is that realistic just yet. A buyout would put his contract on the Detroit’s payroll for another eight years. Steve Yzerman preached patience during his introductory press conference, so I don’t think he’s going to be very aggressive this offseason.