Red Wings Reportedly Sign Niklas Kronwall To Seven-Year Extension

The Detroit Red Wings have started their Monday off with big, big news, reportedly agreeing to terms on a new contract with defenseman Niklas Kronwall. The deal is is reportedly worth $33.25 million over the next seven years, which would come out to an average of $4.75 million per season. This is definitely big news, because Kronwall has been one of the best players on the team in recent years. He's not always lighting the lamp. but he's a premier defenseman and that's reflected in the contract.

TSN's Darren Dreger has some contract numbers to go through:

Kronwall breakdown yrs. 1) SB $1.25 + $3.25 mil. Years 2-4..$6 mil. Year 5) $5.5. Year 6) $3.5. Year 7) $1.75. Full NTC for 1st 5 yrs.    

Kronwall will still have this year still in effect on his contract, which is paying him $3.75 million and reflects the final year of a five-year contract. As noted in the tweet, he's got a no-trade clause in the first five years and Dreger goes on to describe his "limited" no -trade clause in the final two years; where Kronwall can list ten teams that he'd go to for the Red Wings' consideration.

It's a pretty big deal, especially when factoring the years and the no-trades. Kronwall is 30 years-old, and though he's slowed a bit to begin this season, he'll probably be at a very high level for a few years. But a contract taking a defenseman into his late thirties is almost unheard of. Kronwall will be 38 when the deal is done and 36 before the Red Wings can trade him to a team with Kronwall's approval.