Are the contracts good, fair or poor?

By Brendan Savage | bsavage@mlive.com

No team in the NHL has a higher payroll than the Detroit Red Wings, who have more than $79.3 million committed to 30 players, some of whom are no longer with the club for various reasons. That includes $8.3 million of relief to players who are on long-term injured reserve.

General manager Ken Holland handed out some deals that haven't helped the club, which is on the verge of seeing it's 25-season playoff streak end, and they've limited his ability to make roster moves both this season and into the future.

But what we're focusing on today is the money being handed out this season. Past salaries aren't relevant and there's plenty of time in the offseason to think about the future. With that in mind, we're going to look at this year's contracts and decide whether they're good, fair or poor. You can do the same in the comments section.

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Justin Abdelkader

Age: 29

Contract status: Signed through 2022-23

Salary cap hit: $4.75 million

Analysis: Some say Abdelkader is overpaid and that's hard to argue given his production this season – four goals, nine assists and a minus-13 rating in 42 games. But the biggest issue with Abdelkader's deal might be its length. By the time the deal expires, he'll be 35 and what will he have left in that final season given his physical style of play?

Verdict: Poor

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Andreas Athanasiou

Age: 22

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Salary cap hit: $628,333

Analysis: The speedy forward is a potential star and nobody on the team – or perhaps the entire NHL – can excite a crowd as quickly as Athanasiou when he races from one end of the ice to the other. With 14 goals in 45 games, he's a huge bargain and will get a nice pay bump this summer.

Verdict: Good.

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Jared Coreau

Age: 25

Contract status: Signed through 2017-18

Salary cap hit: $612,500

Analysis: It's difficult to predict what kind of NHL goaltender Coreau will eventually become. But he's been solid Jimmy Howard got hurt, even replacing Petr Mrazek as the Red Wings regular net-minder when Mrazek was struggling last month. With a 5-3-3 record, 3.27 GAA, .893 save percentage and two shutouts, he's been well worth the second-least expensive contract on the team.

Verdict: Good

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Danny DeKeyser

Age: 26

Contract status: Signed through 2021-22

Salary cap hit: $5 million

Analysis: Like some of his teammates, DeKeyser has regressed after showing such great promise during his first four seasons. His deal might not have seemed like a bad one when he signed it last summer had he continued to make progress. But he's struggled all season, making it look like the Red Wings potentially overpaid while committing for too many years.

Verdict: Poor

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Jonathan Ericsson

Age: 32

Contract status: Signed through 2019-20

Salary cap hit: $4.25 million

Analysis: Ericsson isn't as bad as many fans believe. He eats up a lot of minutes and has great size at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds. But there's no denying he's struggled defensively this season and doesn't produce much offense. The length and terms of his contract are too high for a defenseman who probably wouldn't be among the top four blue-liners on most other NHL teams.

Verdict: Poor.

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Luke Glendening

Age: 27

Contract status: Signed through 2020-21

Salary cap hit: $628,333

Analysis: Glendening gets criticized for not scoring more – he has three goals and 10 assists in 60 games – but that's not his role. Don't forget, hockey is played at two ends of the ice and his primary role is to be a penalty killer and checking forward. With that in mind, he's worth the money this season. Now, when his salary jumps to $1.8 million next season, that might be another story. But we'll examine that then. Remember, we're talking about the present, not the future.

Verdict: Good

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Mike Green

Age: 31

Contract status: Signed through next season

Salary cap hit: $6 million

Analysis: Green has been much better this season on offense, which has always been his strong suit. But he's not nearly as capable at the other end of the ice. The Red Wings probably overpaid when they signed Green as a free agent but they also didn't have a whole lot of other options given that free agents weren't exactly lining up to play at Joe Louis Arena. He's their only real offensive threat from the back end and that counts for a lot.

Verdict: Fair

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Darren Helm

Age: 30

Contract status: Signed through 2020-21

Salary cap hit: $3.85 million

Analysis: Helm can provide a lot with his speed, penalty killing and checking abilities. The problem is he doesn't do it every night – assuming he's in the lineup at all. Injuries have once again been a problem for the veteran forward and that alone was one big reason the length of his contract is too long and the terms were for too much money.

Verdict: Poor

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Jimmy Howard

Age: 32

Contract status: Signed through 2018-19

Salary cap hit: $5.29 million

Analysis: This is a tricky one. Howard has been inconsistent the past couple of seasons but that's not what we're examining here. He's been sidelined since spraining his MCL Dec. 20 but prior to that Howard was outstanding even if his 5-7-1 record seems to indicate otherwise. It's not Howard's fault the Red Wings gave him little offensive support. He was among the NHL's best in GAA (1.94) and save percentage (.934) before being disqualified from appearing among the league leaders because he's only played in 17 games.

Verdict: Fair

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Nick Jensen

Age: 26

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Salary cap hit: $587,500

Analysis: Nobody has been a more pleasant surprise than the Red Wings' lowest-paid player, who was recalled from Grand Rapids in December. The rookie defenseman has been solid at both ends of the ice and appears to have a bright future with three goals, five assists and a plus-2 rating in 27 games.

Verdict: Good.

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Tomas Jurco

Age: 24

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Salary cap hit: $900,000

Analysis: This is another tough one. Jurco hasn't shown much during all or parts of four seasons with the Red Wings. But he hasn't always been given a regular spot in the lineup. This season, he doesn't have a point in 16 games but he's also went weeks at a time without hitting the ice. That makes it tough to find a rhythm.

Verdict: Fair

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Niklas Kronwall

Age: 36

Contract status: Signed through 2018-19

Salary cap hit: $4.75 million

Analysis: This is another tricky one to judge given Kronwall's health. It wasn't long ago that Kronwall was worth every penny. He threw big hits, played in all situations and regularly led the Red Wings in ice time. But that was then. This is now: Kronwall's balky knees have often left him looking like a shell of his former self to the point he can sometimes be a liability on the ice. Even though he's a great influence off the ice, the biggest factor is what Kronwall does on it even if the struggles are no fault of his own.

Verdict: Poor

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Dylan Larkin

Age: 20

Contract status: Signed through 2017-18

Salary cap hit: $925,000

Analysis: Larkin has regressed in the last year since playing so well at the start of 2015-16 that he became the only rookie picked for the All-Star SGame. Although inconsistent this season, his 12 goals in 58 games rank sixth among Red Wings. But his minus-17 rating is also the second-worst on the team.

Verdict: Good.

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Anthony Mantha

Age: 22

Contract status: Signed through 2017-18

Salary cap hit: $863,333

Analysis: Nobody has produced more in fewer games than Mantha. He missed Detroit's first 15 games while stuck in Grand Rapids before joining the Red Wings and scoring 13 goals to go with 31 points in just 45 games. Both are the third-most on the team. He's also has looked right at home on the Red Wings No. 1 line. This is a guy who has genuine star potential.

Verdict: Good.

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Petr Mrazek

Age: 25

Contract status: Signed through 2017-18

Salary cap hit: $4 million

Analysis: Mrazek can look like an elite goaltender one day and an average netminder the next. He's had trouble maintaining the top job, losing it to Jimmy Howard last season and briefly to Jared Coreau (and Howard) this season. Mrazek has been better of late and sports a 14-16-6 record, 2.98 GAA and .902 save percentage for a team that often has trouble scoring goals in front of him.

Verdict: Fair

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Frans Nielsen

Age: 32

Contract status: Signed through 2021-22

Salary cap hit: $5.25 million

Analysis: The Red Wings went looking for some scoring when Pavel Datsyuk bolted for Russia and signed the veteran forward from the New York Islanders. But with 11 goals in 57 games, Nielsen hasn't produced like he did in New York. And even if he did, the Red Wings still overpaid Nielsen while giving him too many years.

Verdict: Poor

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Gustav Nyquist

Age: 27

Contract status: Signed through 2018-19

Salary cap hit: $4.75 million

Analysis: It's safe to say nobody has failed to live up expectations this season more than the sixth-year forward, who has been wildly inconsistent. Sure, his 29 points rank fourth on the team but he's also spent much of the season on the top line next to Henrik Zetterberg. With just seven goals in 56 games, he's had stretches of 21 games, 13 games and 11 games where he failed to score.

Verdict: Poor

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Steve Ott

Age: 32

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Salary cap hit: $800,000

Analysis: Ott has provided everything the Red Wings wanted when they signed him as a free agent last summer. He's provided abrasiveness, sticks up for teammates, kills penalties, wins key faceoffs and is a positive influence in the dressing room. He also has three goals and three assists in 42 games. All things considered, he might be a bargain.

Verdict: Good

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Xavier Ouellet

Age: 23

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Salary cap hit: $715,000

Analysis: In his full NHL season, Ouellet has been solid on the blue line. He has two goals, eight assists and a plus-4 rating in 44 games while providing some grit. All that for one of the lowest salaries on the team.

Verdict: Good

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Riley Sheahan

Age: 25

Contract status: Signed through 2017-18

Salary cap hit: $2.075 million

Analysis: No forward in the NHL has struggled to score more than the fourth-year center. Sheahan obviously does some things the coaches like since he has appeared in all but two games this season. But at the same time, no forward in Red Wings history has played more games in one season without a scoring a goal and his minus-19 rating is the worst on the team.

Verdict: Poor

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Brendan Smith

Age: 28

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Salary cap hit: $2.75 million

Analysis: Inconsistency might be the biggest issue with Smith. He can look solid one night and struggle badly in his own end the next. Injuries have limited him to 33 games this season, when he has two goals, three assists and a minus-1 rating. He also has yet to find the offensive game the Red Wings hoped for when they made him a first-round draft pick.

Verdict: Fair

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Ryan Sproul

Age: 24

Contract status: Signed through 2017-18

Salary cap hit: $625,000

Analysis: Sproul has perhaps the biggest shot on the team but the rookie defenseman hasn't had much of a chance to show it or find a rhythm, appearing in 24 games. He has one goal, six assists and a minus-6 ratings while often struggling on the defensive end. Still, he's one of the lowest-paid players on the team.

Verdict: Fair

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Tomas Tatar

Age: 26

Contract status: Restricted free agent

Salary cap hit: $2.75 million

Analysis: After struggling to produce offensively in the first half, Tatar has been better since mid-season. In the last 16 games, he has five goals and four assists. In 60 games, he's tied for second among Red Wings with 14 goals and is tied for fifth with 28 points. He's also fit in well on the top line since Nyquist was suspended for five games.

Verdict: Fair.

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Thomas Vanek

Age: 33

Contract status: Unrestricted free agent

Salary cap hit: $2.6 million

Analysis: Vanek has easily been the Red Wings' best free-agent acquisition last summer if not in the last several years. He leads the team with 15 goals – including a team-high five on the power play – to go with 23 assists and a plus-1 rating. His 38 points rank No. 2 on the team.

Verdict: Good

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Henrik Zetterberg

Age: 36

Contract status: Signed through 2020-21

Salary cap hit: $6.08 million

Analysis: Zetterberg leads the team in points (46) and assists (32) while ranking second with 14 goals and a plus-10 rating. Those aren't exactly the type of numbers you'd expect from a guy making six million bucks but Zetterberg provides so much more than just offense. He's good defensively, is the latest in a long line of great Red Wings' captains and never ducks the media after tough losses while often letting his teammates speak after big wins. If his big contract was the result of lifetime achievement, so be it.

Verdict: Fair.

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Which Red Wings could be traded?

With the trade deadline on March 1 and the Red Wings' playoff hopes all but finished, general manager Ken Holland has been working the phones to see if he can move some of the club's assets with an eye on the future. Who could be on the move and who is likely to stay? We have some of the answers for you.

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