Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

The representative for Detroit Red Wings superstar Pavel Datsyuk said Datsyuk is focused on the present, casting some doubt on next season.

Rumors arose over the weekend that Datsyuk will return to play in his native Russia next season, leaving the Wings with a $7.5 million salary cap hit and no player to show for it.

Dan Milstein, who has managed Datsyuk for 12 years and is also his agent, wrote in an e-mail: "Pavel has one more year left on his NHL contract. We will sit down with Ken Holland at the conclusion of the season for our annual year-end meeting.

"Pavel is very determined to play and show his best game while helping, assisting and motivating his team into the playoffs and another Stanley Cup."

Milstein also revealed he and Datsyuk are finalizing an upcoming "Pavel Datsyuk Skill Development Hockey School in Detroit." While Datsyuk has run such a program for the past decade in Russia, this marks the first summer in Detroit. (Further details will be released at a later date).

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Will it be Datsyuk's farewell?

Hockey Night in Canada's Elliotte Friedman cited unnamed sources Saturday in saying Datsyuk might leave this off-season because of family issues.

General manager Ken Holland said "it's all rumors. Pav has a year to go." Holland also said he has no plans to sit down and discuss the situation with Datsyuk now. Holland meets with every player once the season ends.

Datsyuk declined to speak to reporters after Saturday's 3-2 victory at Toronto. The Wings took Sunday off, as their next game isn't until Wednesday when they host the Philadelphia Flyers. Three games remain for the Wings to secure a playoff berth for the 25th consecutive time.

It would be a very painful situation for the Wings should Datsyuk depart. Not only would they lose their most creative playmaker, they would still be billed for him. That's because Datsyuk, 37, signed his last contract after age 35 (he is a late July birthday), which means under the collective bargaining agreement, teams are on the hook for the entire contract even if a player retires.

Having so much money go to waste would be devastating for the Wings.

It would also be an abrupt ending to a magical 14 seasons that has seen Datsyuk help deliver two Stanley Cup championships, take home the Selke Trophy in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and the Lady Byng Trophy four straight years from 2006-2009.

In February of this year, Datsyuk became the sixth Red Wing to record 900 career NHL points.

Datsyuk arrived in Detroit in 2001 as an undersized and shy rookie who learned English by watching the cartoon "Tom & Jerry." On the ice, his skill spoke for him, so much so that Hall of Famer Brett Hull loved playing with Datsyuk, as do his current teammates.

The year 2002 was particularly enchanting for Datsyuk: First he celebrated winning the Stanley Cup in June, and soon after, he and his first wife welcomed the birth of daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth moved back to Russia after Datsyuk and his first wife divorced. Datsyuk remarried, and welcomed daughter Vasilisa two years ago.

There has, in fact, long been chatter Elizabeth would factor into Datsyuk's desire to return home. It came up in 2013, when he spent the first half of the NHL lockout-shortened season playing in the KHL. That was put to rest in the summer, when Datsyuk took to Twitter to announce he'd "Signed 3 yr. extension. Detroit, glad to be here for four more years."

The Wings have to hope that sentiment does not get cut short.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

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