Gustav Nyquist 3-4-15

Gustav Nyquist has scored 55 goals in the past two seasons combined for the Red Wings.

(The Associated Press)

DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings have locked up one of the players they plan to build their roster around in the foreseeable future, signing forward Gustav Nyquist to a four-year, $19 million contract.

"Gustav Nyquist is one of the people we're building around," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "He's really coming into the prime of his career. I don't even know if he's in the prime of his career, yet. The next four years will be important years in Gustav Nyquist's career.

"He's homegrown, developed by us; he wants to be in Detroit."

The sides avoided arbitration by agreeing to a deal with an average annual salary of $4.75 million - a significant bump from Nyquist's $1.05 million salary this past season.

The Red Wings bought two years of Nyquist's unrestricted free agency. He will earn $4 million this upcoming season, $4.25 million in 2016-17, $5.25 million in 2017-18 and $5.5 million in 2018-19. The final two years of the deal includes a full no-trade clause.

Nyquist, 25, is coming off back-to-back productive seasons. He produced 28 goals and 48 points in just 57 games in 2013-14 and tallied 27 goals and 54 points in 82 games this past season.

"It's a league where (15) players scored 30 goals," Holland said. "When I look at what Gus has produced the last two years, and you add in his age, and you look around the league, how hard it is to score ... to get 28 goals once is a nice accomplishment. To do it in back-to-back years (almost) in this league is tremendous."

The Red Wings selected Nyquist 121st overall in 2008 out of Maine. He's a tremendous skater with good stick-handling skills. His overtime goal against Ottawa on Dec. 27 was named Play of the Year by TSN. He finished second to teammate Tomas Tatar in Play of the Year voting for 2013-14.

He's proven he can score in the regular season, but like several of the team's younger players, Nyquist has had trouble in the playoffs. He's been held to just two points (goal, assist) in 12 games during the past two postseasons and has three goals and seven points in 30 career playoff games.

The Red Wings aren't concerned, however. Pavel Datsyuk also had difficulty scoring in the playoffs early in his career (three goals in his first 42 playoff games).

"As I reflect back through the years on some of the players in our organization, it took a while to translate that regular-season success into the playoffs," Holland said. "It's hard to evaluate players on five games and seven games (in the playoffs the past two seasons), that's why you play an 82-game schedule. It gives players an opportunity to show what they can do."

The Red Wings have 21 players signed for approximately $71 million (includes players projected to make the roster). Holland said if they make no moves between now and training camp they'll be slightly over the $71.4 million cap once they sign restricted free-agent forwards Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen.

But that cap figure fluctuates depending on who makes the roster and the status of Johan Franzen ($3.95 million cap hit), who would be placed on long-term injured reserve, giving the club cap relief, if he's not cleared to play due to a concussion. The Red Wings also are uncertain if Datsyuk, who had ankle surgery on June 26, will be ready at the start of the season.

"We got to get to camp, let it play itself out," Holland said. "With the additions we made on July 1 (free agents Mike Green and Brad Richards) we're a little deeper than last year. We're hoping for a competitive training camp."

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