Report: Red Wings buy out final year of Nielsen's contract

The Detroit Red Wings bought out the final year of Frans Nielsen's contract, a source confirmed to The Athletic's Max Bultman.

Nielsen had one year remaining on his deal with a cap hit of $5.25 million. He inked the six-year, $31.5-million pact with Detroit in 2016.

With the buyout, Nielsen's contract will now have a $4.25-million cap hit during the 2021-22 season and a $500,000 cap hit the following year, per CapFriendly.

The 37-year-old recorded five goals and 10 assists across 89 games over the past two seasons. An injury limited Nielsen to 29 contests this past year.

Nielsen's contract was one of the final deals remaining from ex-general manager Ken Holland's time in Detroit. The club's forward group now boasts just one player over the age of 30 - Sam Gagner.

Nielsen has played 925 NHL games and spent the first 10 seasons of his career with the New York Islanders. He's collected 167 goals and 306 assists since being drafted by the Islanders in 2002.