Pavel Datsyuk to Coyotes: Latest Trade Details, Comments and Reaction

The Detroit Red Wings rid themselves of a financial burden Friday night by trading veteran center Pavel Datsyuk and the 16th overall pick in this year's draft to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for the 20th and 53rd overall picks as well as Joe Vitale, according to the team's official Twitter account. 

With the No. 16 pick, the Coyotes selected defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

Datsyuk has a $7.5 million cap hit for the 2016-17 season, and the Red Wings appeared to be determined to offload that monetary commitment in exchange for younger, cost-controlled assets, as James Mirtle of TSN 1050 Toronto noted:

For a team that trotted into the NHL draft with roughly $12.6 million in cap space, the Red Wings bolstered their spending power in a big way. Datsyuk had the highest cap hit among all Red Wings players, and moving him gives the team a chance to make a major splash in free agency, according to ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun:

As for the Coyotes, they have plenty of money to spend. Arizona entered Friday with more than $33 million in cap space, so the franchise can afford to take on the cap hit for the last year of Datsyuk's contract.

In April, the 37-year-old announced plans to leave the NHL and return to Russia, so Arizona essentially agreed to take on the salary in exchange for a quality young prospect in Chychrun. 

"I'm thinking I go home after this season," Datsyuk said, per NHL.com. "I may not be done with hockey, but -- it is hard to say -- I think I am done playing in NHL." 

Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.