from Ansar Khan of Mlive,
When Justin Abdelkader scored 23 goals and tallied 44 points in 2014-15, the Detroit Red Wings expected similar production regularly from an abrasive, physical forward with some skill.
That’s why they signed him to a seven-year, $29.75 million extension early in the 2015-16 season, when he produced good numbers again – 19 goals, 42 points....
Why hasn’t he sustained that level of production?
“When he scored 20, he was playing with Hank (Zetterberg) or Pav (Datsyuk),” coach Jeff Blashill said. “Sometimes the production hasn’t been high when he’s played with (Dylan Larkin), but he’s been a big piece of why we were able to produce offense because he’s standing net-front and in the goalie’s eyes all the time.