Abdelkader will miss Saturday's game against the Sharks due to an undisclosed reason, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

This issue seemed to come out of nowhere, as Abdelkader recorded a goal and a season-high 17:55 of ice time in Friday's contest against the Predators. At any rate, general manager Ken Holland is calling him day-to-day with his next chance to return coming Tuesday night, when the Wings hit the road to face the Blues.

Abdelkader failed to register a point for the fourth consecutive game Monday.

EDGE Analysis

The 29-year-old winger has reached 40 points in back-to-back years, and his slow start hasn't put him in jeopardy of falling short of the mark for a third consecutive year yet. Plus, much of Abdelkader's fantasy value lies in his contributions in the peripheral statistics, and he has five penalty minutes and 13 hits through the first four games of the year. However, it's worth noting, he's currently averaging just 1:50 of power-play time to start the campaign after being above three minutes per game in each of the past two seasons.

Abdelkader was named alternate captain of the Red Wings on Tuesday, Ted Kulfan of The Detroit News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Abdelkader does a little bit of everything for the Winged Wheel, and he should be playing with a chip on his shoulder following Team USA's epic collapse in the World Cup of Hockey. The two-way winger produced one goal on eight shots in the international tournament, but he was strapped with a minus-1 rating. Detroit has Abdelkader under contract for seven more years with an average annual value (AAV) of $4.25 million before he'll hit the open market.

Abdelkader dealt with a dislocated finger at the end of the 2015-16 campaign, but he'll represent Team USA for the World Cup of Hockey in September, MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Abdelkader signed a seven-year, $29.75 million extension with the Wings last November, only to post 42 points and a cringe-worthy minus-16 rating by the end of the 2015-16 regular season. The agitating line defender is making too much coin to not get plenty of chances for redemption in the upcoming season, but it's worth noting that scoring veteran Thomas Vanek, an offseason acquisition, is more than capable of jumping into the top six if and when Abdelkader goes cold.

Abdelkader was dealing with a dislocated finger for the final five games of the regular season and the team's playoff series, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

In the 10 total games played since suffering the injury on March 29 in Montreal, Abdelkader had two goals, no assists, and a minus-5 rating. The injury didn't stop Abdelkader from playing his hard-nosed brand of hockey, but it almost definitely hampered his offensive abilities. There's no indication as to whether the injury will require surgery, but expect Abdelkader to be ready for the start of next season.

Abdelkader did a little bit of everything, chipping in a goal on four shots with five hits and six penalty minutes Wednesday in Tampa Bay.

EDGE Analysis

Abdelkader wasn't afraid to mix it up in a very chippy game, but also came through with a second-period tally that momentarily gave Detroit the lead. The physical American forward should be in for a big series skating on the top line with Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.

Abdelkader (lower body) took part in line rushes during pregame warmups, indicating he'll be in the lineup for Saturday's regular-season finale against the Rangers, Ansar Khan of MLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Abdelkader will slot into his usual role skating on the Wings' top line and power-play unit in Saturday's road matchup with the Rangers. The 2005 second-round pick will look to snap an eight-game scoreless streak in Saturday's contest.

Abdelkader (lower body) did not participate in an optional skate Friday, Ansar Khan of MLive reports.

EDGE Analysis

It would be more worrisome if Friday's skate wasn't optional, but Detroit did call up Joakim Andersson on Friday. Odds are if Abdelkader is anywhere near 100 percent, he will play as Saturday's season finale has the playoffs on the line. However, that will largely depend if he can practice before Saturday's game.

Abdelkader left Thursday's game early in the third period with a lower-body injury and will not return.

EDGE Analysis

Abdelkader logged a quiet night evening prior to leaving, finishing with 15:05 of ice time without any other mark in the scorebook. The 29-year-old winger will look to rejoin the lineup Saturday in a matchup with big playoff implications, but expect the team to update his status again before then.

Abdelkader picked up 19 PIM in Tuesday's 4-3 loss to the Canadiens.

EDGE Analysis

After seeing rookie Dylan Larkin get hit into the boards by Montreal's Alexei Emelin in the second period, Abdelkader stood up for his teammate. He drew a misconduct penalty, a major penalty, and an instigator call for starting a fight with Emelin. He headed back to the sin bin near the end of the game for a roughing minor. Despite not showing up on the scoresheet, it was the sixth straight game in which the 29-year-old picked up at least two PIM.