Justin Abdelkader Biography
Justin Abdelkader is an American professional ice hockey left winger and alternate captain for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL).NHL winger is known for his toughness and all-around hustle. He helped the Detroit Red Wings reach the Stanley Cup Finals in 2008-09, contributing two goals in two consecutive games. Other ice hockey includes: Manny Legace
Justin Abdelkader Age
Abdelkader was born on 25 February 1987, Muskegon, Michigan, United States. He is 32 years old.
Justin Abdelkader Height
Justin stands at a height of 6 feet 2 inches. Which is equivalent to 1.85 meters
Justin Abdelkader Wife
Abdelkader proposed to his longtime girlfriend Julie Leshkevich in November 2016 at the Joe Louis Arena. The couple married on July 21, 2017,and gave birth to their first child in September 2018.
Justin Abdelkader Personal Life
Abdelkader is the son of Joseph and Sheryl Abdelkader. The surname Abdelkader is Arabic. His paternal grandfather, Yusuf Abdul Qadir (Anglicised to Joseph Abdelkader), emigrated from Jordan at the age of 19 to Muskegon, Michigan and married a Polish woman named Zuzanna (Susie).
He went to Churchill Elementary School, Mona Shores Middle School and graduated from Mona Shores High School in 2005. He was named to the all-state hockey team and awarded the Mr. Hockey award, given to the top high school ice hockey player in Michigan. During his senior year, he played for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL.
Abdelkader proposed to his longtime girlfriend Julie Leshkevich in November 2016 at the Joe Louis Arena. The couple married on July 21, 2017, and gave birth to their first child in September 2018.
Justin Abdelkader Career
Amateur
Abdelkader played for the junior ice hockey Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League during his senior year of high school, scoring 27 goals and 52 points and helping the team win the 2004–05 Clark Cup Championship. He then began a three-year stint playing college ice hockey for the Michigan State Spartans men’s ice hockey team of what was then the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.
On April 7, 2007, Abdelkader scored the game-winning goal in the 2007 NCAA Championship Game against Boston College, securing the NCAA Division 1 National Championship for Michigan State University and earning him the Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player.
He scored the latest game-winning regulation goal ever scored in an NCAA Frozen Four championship game when he scored with just 18.9 seconds left. He received his Bachelor of Arts in General Management from Michigan State’s Eli Broad College of Business on December 18, 2015.
Professional
Abdelkader was drafted 42nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
On April 3, 2008, Abdelkader signed a one-game amateur tryout with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and was to play that night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In doing so, he forfeited his college eligibility for the 2008–09 season
The following day, Abdelkader signed a three-year contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He played one more game that season for Detroit. In June when Detroit won the Stanley Cup Abdelkader was part of the team celebration. He was included on the team picture and awarded a Stanley Cup Ring. Abdelkader did not play enough games to qualify for engravement on the Stanley Cup in 2008.
Abdelkader scored 24 goals for the Grand Rapids Griffins during the 2008–09 season and was one of the team’s best offensive players in the playoffs.
On May 8, 2009, Abdelkader was brought up to the Red Wings as the replacement for Tomáš Kopecký, who sat out Game 5 of the Western Conference semi-finals series against the Anaheim Ducks. Coach Mike Babcock sent Abdelkader to replace Kopecký “because he’ll run over people.
We expect him to play hard like Darren Helm. He’s on the forecheck and he’s a physical guy.” During the game, Abdelkader scored his first career point on an assist to Johan Franzén. Abdelkader scored his first career NHL goal on May 30, 2009, in Game 1 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After shooting the puck, he grabbed the rebound out of the air with his glove, dropped the puck, and beat Marc-André Fleury high stick side. His second goal came nearly 24 hours later in the second game of the series, off of what commentators described as a “knuckle puck.”
He carried the puck into the forward zone alone against three Penguins defenders and fired a slapshot past Fleury. He became the first rookie to score a goal in consecutive finals games since Minnesota’s Dino Ciccarelli did it in 1981.
During the 2009–10 season Justin played 50 games for the Red Wings scoring three goals while adding three assists. Abdelkader was then re-signed by the Red Wings on a two-year extension worth $1.575 million.
The 2010–11 season was Abdelkader’s first full NHL season as a Red Wing. Abdelkader played in 74 games, scoring seven goals, and adding 12 assists.
During the 2011–12 season, he missed only one game and finished the season with eight goals and 14 assists in 81 games.
On September 14, 2012, Abdelkader signed a four-year, $7.2 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings.
On October 9, 2015, Abdelkader became the second player in Red Wings history to score a hat trick in a season-opening home game, following Adam Brown in 1945. Abdelkader was named the First Star of the Week for the week ending October 12, 2015. He shared the league lead with four goals and tied for second in the NHL with five points. On November 12, 2015, the Red Wings signed Abdelkader to a seven-year, $29.75 million contract extension.
Justin Abdelkader Contract
Justin Abdelkader is not worth his new 7-year, $30 million contract
When reports surfaced Wednesday night that the Detroit Red Wings planned to give forward Justin Abdelkader a seven-year contract extension, it was met with obvious trepidation.
Long-term contracts are handed out too often in the NHL to players who are on the decline in their careers. Just take a look at the situation Columbus is in with David Clarkson and Nick Foligno, who are both older than 28 and were both dealt long-term contracts of more than six years and $33 million.
Tying up players in the later stages of their careers can be difficult. It’s a give and takes between teams that don’t want to see one of their top point scorers leave for free agency and players who want as much job security as they can get.
Often times, the player wins out, getting a deal that’s long enough to extend into their mid-to-late 30s. These deals make it hard to move players thanks to the big contracts they carry, especially years down the road when the player no longer produces at the level of his salary.
Bad contracts are a true staple in the NHL because there isn’t one GM in this league who hasn’t made you want to cringe with a deal since the start of the salary cap era. It happens to them all, even to the best of them, and it probably happened to Ken Holland of the Red Wings in this Abdelkader deal.
Still, now that it’s official, is there any upside to Abdelkader’s new seven-year, $4.25 million AVV deal?
The Good
Right off the bat, details have come out from ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun that Abdelkader’s deal is front-loaded, with at least $20 million of the $29.75 coming in the first four years. With much of the money coming up front, it might make it easier to unload Abdelkader to a willing team should his numbers drop past that threshold.
ESPN’s Craig Custance also reports that Abdelkader will have a no-trade clause during the first four years with a partial NTC in the final three. The details are not as bad as many feared, so there is something positive to hang your hats on.
While it’s not inherently good, locking up Abdelkader was clearly a goal of Holland’s this season. The forward is in the midst of a contract year and would have hit the UFA market at the end of this season. It may certainly not be an ideal contract, but it’s one both parties could agree on to keep Abdelkader in Detroit where he’s making an impact.
The Bad
Fifteen games into a show-me season for Abdelkader, the forward only has seven points. After breaking out last season with career highs in goals (23), assists (21) and points (44), Abdelkader has cooled off significantly to start this year. The forward is on a 13-game goalless drought, having scored his last one Oct. 10 against Carolina, with this first three goals coming in the season opener against Toronto a day prior.
While his statistics to start this contract year are not ideal, the terms aren’t much better. By the time the newest seven-year deal will be up, Abdelkader will be 35-years-old with over a $4 million cap hit. Not many players see much NHL ice time by the time they’re 35, and if they do they’re cleaning up in the bottom six of the lineup. The contract will most certainly be hard to move if Abdelkader cannot compete to its level in the latter years, despite the front loading.
The money is not so much the issue as the length. A cap hit of $4.25 million isn’t too egregious, as it puts him on par with defenseman Jonathan Ericsson’s hit for sixth-highest on the team starting in the 2016-17 season.
It absolutely muddles around with Detroit’s cap situation, and the Wings are already the fifth-closest team in the NHL to the salary cap this season. No doubt this contract will impact future deals made with Tomas Tatar next season and Danny Dekeyser this year.
Whether the Red Wings will have to let some players walk due to the lack of space remains to be seen, but long term contracts always come with this potential price.
The length, on the other hand, is too long for a player of Abdelkader’s caliber and the point totals he has shown thus far. The Red Wings just extended a player into his mid-30s who has just one 40-point season under his belt at the current age of 28.
Abdelkader doesn’t even have a 30-point season outside of last year’s break out, with his closest being 28 points in the 2013-14 season. So far in this contract year, the forward has disappeared after a really strong first two games, with just two points — both assists — in his last 13 games.
Plus, Abdelkader plays a physical style of hockey, a bruising brand that increases his likelihood of slowing down in his later years with a bigger risk of injury. Hockey players are known to drop off quite rapidly in their 30s and this contract will see Abdelkader through the bulk of that time frame.
Maybe this new deal is all Abdelkader needs to find that scoring touch again, as there’s still time for the forward to find his legs this year. However, this bad contract will likely overshadow anything Abdelkader does from here on out through the next seven years in Detroit. Unless he finds — and maintains — that gear that has only shown itself just once in his career, this contract will probably end up on the bad side of history for Ken Holland.
Source:www.sbnation.com
Justin Abdelkader Injury
Justin Abdelkader is likely done for the rest of the season after he suffered a hairline fracture in his leg.
Abdelkader is projected to be out for three-to-four weeks. He was injured when he blocked a shot last Thursday against Tampa Bay. That was also the night that he ended a 40-game goalless drought. If this is it for Abdelkader then his season will end with six goals, 13 assists and 185 hits in 71 games.
Justin Abdelkader has an undisclosed injury.
Abdelkader won’t play on Saturday and is considered day-to-day beyond that. Ryan Kuffner will make his NHL debut on Saturday as a result.
Justin Abdelkader Net Worth
His net worth is estimated at around $ 30 million
Justin Abdelkader Twitter
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