WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – Pavel Datsyuk is leaving the Detroit Red Wings with a year left on his contract, saying it’s time to go back home and play in the Russia-based Kontinental Hockey League.
The 37-year-old Datsyuk announced his plans Saturday at a news conference at his youth hockey camp in the Detroit area.
“My family and I are grateful for our time here in Detroit,” Datsyuk said. “This was not an easy decision, but it’s time for us to return home.”
The move was not a huge surprise. Toward the end of the season, he was quoted in a Detroit Free Press story saying he would retire from the NHL, but Datsyuk later told reporters there was a chance he could change his mind. He said Saturday his final decision came when he was on vacation with his family recently.
Even though he’s headed overseas, Datsyuk will count $7.5 million against Detroit’s salary cap next season, unless the Red Wings can trade the cap hit elsewhere.