Former Red Wings winger Justin Abdelkader signs in Switzerland

After being bought out by Detroit back in the offseason, veteran winger Justin Abdelkader has found a place to play.  EV Zug of the Swiss NLA announced that they’ve signed the 33-year-old to a contract for the remainder of the 2020-21 season.

In his prime, Abdelkader was a capable top-six power forward, twice reaching the 40-point mark while recording at least 100 hits in all of his 11 full NHL seasons.  However, his offensive production dried up considerably in recent years, including a goalless 2019-20 campaign during which he managed just three assists in 49 games that resulted in the Red Wings opting to pay him more than $6M in total over the next six years to get out of his contract.

If Abdelkader can have some offensive success overseas, it’s not entirely implausible to think that a team could view him as a possible fourth-line fit or PTO candidate for 2021-22, so there could be a lot at stake for him over the next couple of months.  However, he’ll have to wait a little while before he can get overseas as he will now look to get his work visa approved.