The Red Wings made a big splash on Friday, signing forward Gustav Nyquist to a four-year contract extension worth $19 million.
“We’re very happy to have Gustav locked up for four more years,” Detroit GM Ken Holland said in a statement. “He’s quickly become an important part of our team, and is a critical piece to the Red Wings’ future.
“He is just now entering the prime of his career.”
Per War On Ice, the deal carries a $4.75 million average annual cap hit, and Nyquist receives a full no-trade clause in the third and fourth years of the deal. Financially speaking, it’s a nice pay bump for the Swedish sniper, who was pulling down an average of $950,000 per year on his old deal.
Nyquist certainly deserves the raise.
He’s been Detroit’s most consistent scorer over the last two seasons, leading the team in goals (a combined 55 in ’13-14 and ’14-15.) This year, he finished third in the NHL with 14 power-play markers, pacing a Red Wings PP that led the league with 70 goals on the man advantage.
With this new deal, the 25-year-old becomes the third highest-paid forward in Detroit, behind Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Nyquist, along with Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, is also one of just three forwards inked beyond 2017.
With this deal done, Holland will now turn his focus to his other two remaining RFAs: Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen.
