Trading Datsyuk’s Contract to Arizona
It was heartbreaking for Detroit Red Wings fans when Pavel Datsyuk went back to the KHL in order to be closer to his family. He was a dynamic player for 14 seasons in Detroit.
The trade that moved Datsyuk’s contract to Arizona ended up being a terrible trade for the Red Wings. Datsyuk’s $7.5 million cap hit plus the #16 selection in 2016 (Jakob Chychrun) were traded to Arizona for Joe Vitale‘s contract, the #20 selection in 2016 (Dennis Cholowski) and the #53 selection in 2016 (Filip Hronek). The trade opened up over $6 million in cap space for Detroit.
Cholowski could never live up to the hype of a first round selection and was recently selected by Seattle in the Expansion Draft. Hronek has been a workhorse for Detroit scoring 80 points in 167 games over three NHL seasons and at least cushioned what could have been a truly terrible trade.
Chychrun has been terrific for Arizona scoring 121 points in 290 games over six NHL campaigns.