On Saturday, Datsyuk officially announced that he will leave the Red Wings and return to Russia, Ansar Khan of Mlive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Just days before the Red Wings knew they'd make it to the playoffs for the 25th consecutive season, rumors -- now substantiated -- swirled that Datsyuk would bypass the final year of his contract and return to his native Russia to be with family. That may have been a distraction as The Magic Man was held pointless against the Lightning in the conference quarterfinals, an eventual series loss. Nonetheless, there's so much in the way of positives concerning Datsyuk and his career contributions to the Wings. Not only is he a two-time Stanley Cup champion and four-time All-Star, but Datsyuk is one of the craftiest two-way players the game has ever seen, having claimed the Selke trophy three times to complement several hardware pieces. He leaves behind a $7.5 million cap hit for 2016-17, though his agent reportedly thinks it can be traded.