Nielsen (undisclosed) was waived unconditionally by the Red Wings on Thursday for the purpose of buying out the final year of his six-year, $31.5 million contract, MLive.com reports.
Father Time has clearly caught up with the 37-year-old Nielsen, who was often a healthy scratch in 2020-21 and finished the campaign having appeared in just 29 contests, picking up six points while averaging 12:08 of ice time over that span. It seems unlikely that Nielsen will garner much interest from other NHL clubs, so he may need to head overseas if he wishes to continue his playing career.