Red Wings sign Justin Abdelkader to 7-year extension

The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Justin Abdelkader to a seven-year contract extension on Thursday.

The Detroit Red Wings have signed forward Justin Abdelkader to a seven-year contract extension, the team announced Thursday.

According to TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the deal is reportedly worth $28 million.

Abdelkader, 28, has played for Detroit his entire nine-season NHL career. He was set to become a free agent in July, but the Red Wings were never expected to let him hit free agency before working out an extension, reports Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press.

Abdelkader had the best season of his career in 2014–15 with 23 goals and 44 points, but he is off to a slow start in 2015–16. He has four goals and seven points through 15 games, but has not scored since the second game of the season.

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The Red Wings sit in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 8–6 record, and will play the San Jose Sharks on Friday.

- Erin Flynn