Detroit — The Red Wings have placed forward Justin Abdelkader on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout.
Abdelkader, 33, signed a seven-year contract worth $29.75 million ($4.25 million salary cap hit) before the 2016-17 season and has struggled to live up to the contract in recent seasons.
Considering the buyout formula, Abdelkader’s buyout cap hit will be $1,805,556 next season, $2,305,556 the next two seasons, and $1,055,556 for the three seasons (2023-24 to 2025-56) after that.
Given Abdelkader’s age, he’ll receive two-thirds of the remaining salary due ($9.