The Detroit Red Wings have found their “replacement” for Pavel Datsyuk in free agency, as they have signed Frans Nielsen to a six year contract with an AAV of $5.25 million.

The contract has a no move clause in the first two years, then becomes a limited no-trade clause for the remaining four years. The contract breaks down as $6M/$6M/$6M/$5.5M/$5M/$3M.

Coming off of a 52 point season in 81 games with the Islanders, and six points in 11 games in the playoffs, Nielson has proven to be a consistent 30-50 point player throughout his career, and he’ll certainly improve the center depth on the Wings. In 2013-14, he had a career high of 58 points, as well as career highs in goals (25) and assists (33) that year.

Analytics wise, he’s a solid possession player. He’s no Datsyuk, but he isn’t a drag on the ice, with a 5v5 FF% ranging between 48-54% over his career.

It’s a solid contract, but the term is a bit too long, especially considering that he’s 32. But, it gives the team solid center depth for the time being, which I guess was what Ken Holland was looking for, despite the fact that there were options in the minors down the road.