NHL Rumors: Red Wings trying to move Pavel Datsyuk’s cap hit

The Detroit Red Wings are exploring a variety of options to get rid of Pavel Datsyuk’s 2016-17 cap hit as he’s expected to go to the KHL. 

Pavel Datsyuk is reportedly close to officially announcing that he will leave the NHL and go to the KHL. Replacing Datsyuk will be very hard for the Detroit Red Wings as he has been such a great player for such a long period.

On top of replacing Datsyuk in the lineup, the Red Wings will have to deal with his cap hit of $7.5 million unless they can find someone to take on it. Detroit is considering their options for getting rid of it, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger.

This certainly wouldn’t be the first time that a team has traded a contract. It happened as recently as last offseason when the Arizona Coyotes took on Chris Pronger’s contract from the Philadelphia Flyers. Of course, Pronger’s contract is different – he’s only getting paid a $575,000 annual salary through the 2016-17 season.

Datsyuk’s is an entirely different animal because he will be getting paid a $5.75 million salary next season. The collective bargaining agreement states that the cap hit for anyone who signs a contract and is 35 years or older counts against their team’s salary cap even if they aren’t playing.

Which teams can afford to do that? The Toronto Maple Leafs are a very obvious fit. They are one of the wealthiest franchises so they could easily take on his salary and not really care about paying it as long as Detroit makes it worth their while to do so.

Other fits could include the Coyotes, the Carolina Hurricanes, and the New Jersey Devils. Detroit will have to sweeten the pot with a nice draft pick or prospect.

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