Why do people dislike abdelkader so much?

[taliababa]

He's utterly useless. A terrible hockey player in every sense of the word who's signed for the next 4 years for way too much money which includes the standard Holland complimentary full NTC next year and a modified NTC the following 3 years. Worst contract on a team overflowing with shitty contracts.

 

[Fil Larkmanthanasiou]

He is a fine 4th line/grind/pk player but is way over payed and overused.

 

[Kingpin794]

1) The contract.
2) The contract.
3) The contract.
4) The PR spin as if he's a cornerstone of the team.
5) The contract.
6) His style of play doesn't age well.
7) The contract.

The contract is a lot of it for sure but the PR spin is what really put people over the edge a long time ago.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

As for the pro-Abdelkader commercials, they are out of place enough that I kinda wonder if people on the inside know something about his decline that we don't.

Ha.

I'm guessing is that in this rebuild phase the Wings don't have a lot of faces to put on posters. With that 7 year deal Abdelkader is untradeable and going to be here for a while. So it makes sense they'd use him on a lot of stuff.

That being said I don't live in the Detroit area anymore so have not had to suffer through those commercials.

 

[Bob Probert Owns You]

This, plus he sucks at hockey

+1

 

[cjm502]

His cap hit, the term of his contract, and the way the coaches in Detroit use him are all ridiculous. If he was paid like a 4th liner and deployed as one, then there wouldnt be an issue.

The only logical explanation is that a small group players has incriminating pictures of the front office and coaches. Danny Cleary is the original photographer and first to blackmail the Wings brass. He passed down his specific set of skills to Abdelkader, who then used his newfound abilities to do much of the same thing Danny boy did.

Abdelkader is the captian of this ship now.

 

[Oddbob]

Is it him as a player you dislike or the 4.25M cap hit? If he had a 3M cap hit would he not receive as much hate as he does on these boards. Would the wings have a hard time trying to find a fair offer for him from any other team?

It is his play, he does nothing out there!

 

[kliq]

He's utterly useless. A terrible hockey player in every sense of the word who's signed for the next 4 years for way too much money which includes the standard Holland complimentary full NTC next year and a modified NTC the following 3 years. Worst contract on a team overflowing with ****ty contracts.

Simply untrue. If Abby was being paid 1mil and was on a two year contract, he would get zero hate.

 

[RabidBadger]

Simply untrue. If Abby was being paid 1mil and was on a two year contract, he would get zero hate.

FALSE! I am the O.G. Abdel-hater on this board and it was well established before his contract.

For me, it was always his cement head/cowardly plays: leaving his feet for a hit during the Anaheim playoff series, turtling to Boyle, sucker-punching the dude from Tampa while he's down, etc. The only reason people here tolerated him so long is because he's a Wing. If he played for the Penguins or Blackhawks you would have despised him all along.

I caught a lot of grief for slagging him after his amazing 40 point year. Now everyone sees what great foresight and judgement I have

 

[wingfan]

FALSE! I am the O.G. Abdel-hater on this board and it was well established before his contract.

For me, it was always his cement head/cowardly plays: leaving his feet for a hit during the Anaheim playoff series, turtling to Boyle, sucker-punching the dude from Tampa while he's down, etc. The only reason people here tolerated him so long is because he's a Wing. If he played for the Penguins or Blackhawks you would have despised him all along.

I caught a lot of grief for slagging him after his amazing 40 point year. Now everyone sees what great foresight and judgement I have

Does anyone else remember that HBO Winter Classic show before the game at Michigan Stadium? There was a moment in one of those episodes where Abdelkader got in a scrap with Shane Doan and as they were skating to the box Doan chirped at him something like "You're playing with the best player in the league and you can't even score, you should be ashamed of yourself!" Low blow but god damn, we were all thinking it..

 

[GMR]

He's overpaid, doesn't hit anymore, and fights like a girl.

He never could score but most of the blame for that should be on Holland for giving him a bigger contract than deserved. Can't blame an untalented player for being untalented. There's always some fool willing to pay a player like that.

 

[saska sault]

What are the chances we eventually see him buried in the minors or bought out? I can't picture any scenario where he is on our team and contributing next time we make the playoffs.

 

[taliababa]

Simply untrue. If Abby was being paid 1mil and was on a two year contract, he would get zero hate.

WRONG. He's a useless plug, who would be overpaid at $100k. I've hated him since he was undeservedly anchored to Datsyuk's line and will hate him until he's f***ing gone from the game.

 

[avssuc]

What are the chances we eventually see him buried in the minors or bought out? I can't picture any scenario where he is on our team and contributing next time we make the playoffs.

This is the problem with his contract, it's so long that he will probably be detrimental to the Wings when they are competing again.

If the guy had any decency, he'd pay a doctor to diagnose him with 'equipment allergies'.

 

[Oddbob]

The problem is actually more on Blashill at this point. Honestly he should be buried in the minors already, and not playing everyday. At minimum, he should be a regular healthy scratch.

 

[Henkka]

Is it him as a player you dislike or the 4.25M cap hit? If he had a 3M cap hit would he not receive as much hate as he does on these boards. Would the wings have a hard time trying to find a fair offer for him from any other team?

It has always been the contract. Everybody loved the cheap-caphit Abdelkader.

Same goes with every player when they are cheap shiny new toys (read: young with cheap ELC or as RFA) and the manhunt and hate starts after the career contract.

 

[kliq]

FALSE! I am the O.G. Abdel-hater on this board and it was well established before his contract.

For me, it was always his cement head/cowardly plays: leaving his feet for a hit during the Anaheim playoff series, turtling to Boyle, sucker-punching the dude from Tampa while he's down, etc. The only reason people here tolerated him so long is because he's a Wing. If he played for the Penguins or Blackhawks you would have despised him all along.

I caught a lot of grief for slagging him after his amazing 40 point year. Now everyone sees what great foresight and judgement I have

lol, ok I believe you. Though I believe the majority that rip him, rip him for the reasons I stated above.

 

[kliq]

WRONG. He's a useless plug, who would be overpaid at $100k. I've hated him since he was undeservedly anchored to Datsyuk's line and will hate him until he's ****ing gone from the game.

Sounds like this goes deeper then hockey. Not sure what Abby did to you, but maybe you should speak to someone lol.

 

[Steve Yzerlland]

Abdelkader is like Cleary on steroids in terms of contract. Too long for a bottom 6 grinder.

 

[Lampedampe]

At first: Because he was strapped to either Z's or Dats hip,
Then: Because he was given a horrible contract.
Now: Because he can't play hockey and he has also somehow gone soft.

 

[Hammettf2b]

I blame Datsyuk

 

[Big Poppa Puck]

I actually don't mind his cap hit...I hate his cap hit over a 7 year span. 4 would have been fine.

 

[Winger98]

I actually don't mind his cap hit...I hate his cap hit over a 7 year span. 4 would have been fine.

The term is just nuts considering the cap hit. The whole point of giving a guy a longer term is to bring down the cap hit. Holland gave Gator both.

 

[Air Budd Dwyer]

There’s not a lot I can add that hasn’t already been said about his horrendous contract. I liked the guy when he first entered the league. Since then, he’s become a less physical, slow, unskilled, league punching bag with the hockey IQ equivalent of Forrest Gump when his mother tried to get him into normal public school.

He stinks and I don’t like him.

 

[Oddbob]

A real shocker is there needs to be a thread on this topic! If it came from a non Wings fan I understand otherwise, the proof is in the unfortunate eye test.