Detroit red wings have one of the most "terrible" contracts in hockey

The Detroit Red Wings could clear a contract off the books if they were motivated to. That would require GM Steve Yzerman to make a deal to move or buy out Vladimir Tarasenko.

His deal pays him $4.75 million AAV, and could be considered an overpay depending on how you view his production.

If you think he's capable of doing more, he's got one more year to prove it. But in reality, the Red Wings have one year left on a 33-point forward deal, a disappointing clip for a two-time Stanley Cup champion.

Tarasenko leveraged his last Stanley Cup into a nice, two-year deal with the Red Wings, and Yzerman will have to decide whether or not he's worth keeping around or whether he's worth trading.

It's likely that in order to trade Tarasenko, he may have to retain part of the deal in order to make a trade work.

On July 1st, Tarasenko's contract contains an 8-team no-trade clause, and if that kicks in before Yzerman could move him, it could complicate matters for the Wings.

Yzerman could either buy out his contract and eat the cost, or make his contract a cap dump.

I.e., Jake Walman and send a pick attached to the next team, ready to give Tarasenko a fresh start in the NHL.

It's disappointing to see his decline, after a strong year split between the Senators and Panthers, scoring 55 points total in 2023-2024.

Dayal makes a great point in order to make a deal quicker, though:

Yzerman has his work cut out for him, but for now, it seems like he's sitting on his "Yzerhands".