Detroit Red Wings: The Five contracts currently haunting the team
By Cory Mello
GP:43 | G:5 | A:21 | P:26
Before I even begin, I am a Mike Green fan; always have been. At no fault of his own, Green has only been able to play a full 82 game season once in his entire 14 NHL seasons. When Green is healthy, he is without a doubt the Wings’ best offensive threat from the blue-line. Green’s presence was missed when out of the lineup, especially as the QB on the top power-play unit.
Despite missing 39 games due to the same virus that caused him to miss the first 9 games of the season, he only finished one point behind Kronwall for the most points on the team by a defenseman. It should be worth noting; he has never had less than 33 points for the Wings’ before his injury. With the high praise he’s received from me thus far, you may be asking yourself, “why is he on the list”?. To answer that would be easy, look at his games played and his AAV.
After Green’s three-year stint with the Detroit Red Wings, Green re-signed to a new two-year deal worth 10.75 million ($5.375/season). For a player that is often-injured, $5.375 a season is a lot to pay for. The days of Green hitting 40+ points are well over, never mind the 70+ point seasons he had as a member of the Washington Capitals. Talent has never come into question, as Green is a supremely talented offensive-defenseman that the Wings’ miss when he’s not in the lineup. The issue is, he rarely is in the lineup.
With only one more season left of his 2-year deal, Green may call it a career after numerous injuries have plagued his career. This will help the Red Wings free-up much-needed cap space to an already tight budget.