The Detroit Red Wings’ best players powered Wednesday’s comeback win against the Washington Capitals. In an ideal world, Stephen Weiss would have contributed to such a victory.
Instead, Weiss continues to struggle with health issues that have plagued him since his last season with the Florida Panthers. MLive.com’s Ansar Khan reports that the 31-year-old was held out of the third period of Wednesday’s game for the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins.
Weiss’ deal runs through the 2017-18 season. It currently carries a $4.9 million cap hit, but it’s going to become especially tough to stomach in the next two seasons.
Take a look at the structure of the deal, salary-wise:
2013-14: $4 million
2014-15: $4.5 million
2015-16: $6 million
2016-17: $6 million
2017-18: $4 million
Considering that he’s just 31, it’s conceivable that Weiss might be able to make a positive impact on the Red Wings roster at some point.
It’s hard not to throw the word “albatross” around here, though.