Justin Abdelkader's career with the Red Wings has come to an end.
The team placed the veteran forward and one of its alternate captains for the past four seasons on unconditional waivers Tuesday to buy out the rest of his contract.
Abdelkader had three years remaining on the seven-year, $29.75 million extension he signed in 2015, with an annual cap hit of $4.25 million.
By buying him out, the Red Wings will save $2.5 million against the cap this season, then about $2 million each of the two seasons after that. They'll add about $1 million to the ledger each season from 2023-24 to 2025-26.
This was ultimately an obvious decision for general manager Steve Yzerman.
Abdelkader, 33, had 22 points over the last two seasons. He had zero goals and three assists over 49 games in 2019-20. He was a combined minus-75 since breaking in his new deal.
While the Red Wings valued his leadership, it was no longer worth the price. And with Abdelkader out of the picture, the team will have more room to break in its young players.
Abdelkader ends his career in Detroit with 106 goals and 252 points over 739 games played. He added six goals and 13 points in 64 career playoff games.