In the 2015-16 season, Abdelkader again posted solid numbers recording 19 goals and notching 42 points for the Detroit Red Wings. These were the best offensive seasons of his career and with no surprise came with Pavel Datsyuk playing the majority of the time as his center.
The only issue (which at the time was not a big issue) was Justin had signed a seven-year, $29.75 million dollar contract extension. Now it has become a rather significant problem. Justin Abdelkader has not come close to his early numbers since. In his case playing alongside Wings legends, Henrik Zetterberg and Datsyuk all those years really inflated his offensive numbers.