MLive’s Ansar Khan penned a locker room clean-out day article which focuses on the comments made by Ken Holland, Jeff Blashill and Henrik Zetterberg regarding the Wings’ official rebuild…
But Khan also lets some hints drop regarding the Wings’ offseason player personnel plans:
The Red Wings aren’t likely to be too active in a free-agent market that’s becoming increasingly thin. They would like to re-sign defenseman Mike Green, preferably for two years. He’s coming off neck surgery and will be ready for the start of training camp. They need to sign a goaltender to either back-up Jimmy Howard or compete for the starting job. Carter Hutton of St. Louis is on their radar.
No player on the current roster was acquired through trade, but Holland said he’d “love to do a value for value deal.”
Also, regarding the youth movement:
Holland said 6-foot-6 center Michael Rasmussen, their 2017 top pick who is dominating in the WHL playoffs for Tri-City (nine goals, 19 points in six games), has a chance to make the team next season. Evgeny Svechnikov, their 2015 top pick, also will be competing for a spot.
They are not as deep on defense, on their roster and in the system. They hope one of Joe Hicketts or Filip Hronek makes the jump from AHL Grand Rapids to the NHL at the start of the season.
“I’m hoping and expecting that minimum of two, maybe four or five kids between the ages of 19 and 22 are on the roster next year that weren’t on the team to start this year,” Holland said. “I want to get those young people onto this roster when I think that they can help us be competitive.”
