Detroit Red Wings: Justin Abdelkader Shut Down For The Season

After suffering a hairline fracture in his leg that will sideline him for 3-4 weeks, the Detroit Red Wings have shut Justin Abdelkader down for the rest of the season.

The Detroit Red Wings have announced forward Justin Abdelkader will miss the remainder of the 2018-19 season due to a hairline fracture in his leg. This injury would normally keep a player sidelined for about three to four weeks. However, with the Red Wings playoff chances gone, the team has chosen to let Abdelkader take the remainder of the season to heal.

His injury was sustained from blocking a shot on March 14th, when the Red Wings lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 in Little Caesars Arena.

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Although getting injured is never a good thing, Abdelkader has to be relieved that this season is finally over for him. The 32-year-old is having his worst career in points since the 2012-13 season when he only played 48 games. In the 2018-19 season, Abdelkader only has six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in 71 games played.

The 6’2” and 214 pound winger is struggling to find any offensive spark this season. In 71 games, Abdelkader has only been able to rip off 95 shots all season. The low number of shots Abdelkader has been able to record this season is scary considering the fact that he is averaging 15:24 minutes of ice time per game (one of the highest on the team).

The fact that Abdelkader is having a hard time getting anything going offensively is concerning and has to make fans worried. Red Wings general manager Ken Holland signed Abdelkader to a seven-year, $29.75 million contract in the summer of 2015.

Abdelkader still has four more years on his contract averaging $4.25 million per season. The amount Holland signed him to was quite extensive considering the fact that he has only registered over 40 points a season twice in his career.

Hopefully Abdelkader spends the offseason rehabbing and working with his teammates.  With hard work and working on team chemistry, he should have a comeback season.