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ROSTER REVIEW: Re-tooling the defense

June 6, 2012, 1:35 PM ET [20 Comments]
Mark Spizzirri
Detroit Red Wings Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
With last week's retirement announcement by Nicklas Lidstrom finally beginning to settle in, it's time to examine the remaining collection of rearguards in Detroit and what the future possibly holds for this group:

DEFENSEMEN


Brendan Smith: 1 year at $875k

Prognosis:

I fully expect to see Smith prosper in Detroit next season in his first full season as a Red Wing. With only 14 NHL games under his belt, big things will be expected from the 23 year-old former first round draft pick out of Wisconsin. Although he will likely begin the season on the 3rd pairing, I would not be surprised to see this talented defenseman earn increasing ice-time as the season progresses. Having watched rookie Slava Voynov closely during the post-season for Los Angeles as their #4 d-man, the hope is that Smith can evolve quickly into a similar type player for Detroit in his "true" rookie campaign.


Jakub Kindl: 1 year remaining at $883.3k

Prognosis:

Still only 25 years old, the 2012-13 NHL season will likely make-or-break the career of Jakub Kindl as a Red Wing. Another former first-round pick (19th overall, 2005), the time is now for both he and Smith to earn the full confidence of the coaching staff and management group. I believe Kindl has a future in Detroit and just needs a full season with the big club to prove his worth and solidify the third pairing. Both he and Smith were drafted years ago with the mindset that they would eventually be able to help offset the future retirement of Lidstrom. That time has arrived and Kindl should receive a greater opportunity to expand his role in Detroit.


Nicklas Lidstrom: Retired

Prognosis:

I've included the former captain on this list to reiterate the sole upside to Lidstrom’s departure being the additional $6.2 million in salary cap space that is freed up for the Red Wings, in addition to their already ample cap room.


Ian White: 1 year at $2.875 million

Prognosis:

Signed as almost an afterthought to Red Wing fans after the club missed out on high profile d-men like James Wisniewski and Christian Ehrhoff, White actually proceeded to become an ideal addition playing the bulk of the season alongside Nicklas Lidstrom. Another season like this past campaign and White will be in a position of power come next summer when his current contract expires. He should remain a solid 2nd pair defenseman alongside either Kyle Quincey, Jonathan Ericsson or a free agent/trade addition.


Brad Stuart: UFA

Prognosis:

The outlook appears to be bleak with respect to Stuart remaining a Red Wing. With San Jose appearing to be his likely destination, the Red Wings will be hard pressed to fill his role as the club’s most defensive-minded defender. It should be noted there have been rumblings that if Stuart doesn't sign on with a California-based team, he may still consider re-signing with Detroit, despite the inconvenience it causes his family life.

The likelihood is slim, but if Stuart does not return, I expect Detroit to attempt to fill his role from within the organization.


Kyle Quincey: RFA

Prognosis:

Despite an uneven return to Detroit following his acquisition at the trade deadline, Quincey should be more prepared to excel following a full training camp with the club and a clearly defined role. In parting with a first-round pick to acquire his services, the Red Wings fully intend to re-sign Quincey and have him compete for the #4/#5 spot amongst the collection of Red Wing defensemen. Quincey possesses good speed, size and an ability to contribute offensively, while his propensity to take needless penalties and occasional carelessness with the puck in his own zone resulted in some criticism during his stint with the club following the trade deadline.


Jonathan Ericsson: 2 years remaining at $3.25 million

Prognosis:

Ericsson silently quieted critics (such as myself) who felt his re-signing at $3.25 million annually was too high a price for a blueliner often criticized by Red Wing fans and media for not playing to his full potential and SIZE. Yet last season, his absence during March with a wrist injury highlighted his importance to this hockey club, in particular with killing penalties. With the potential loss of Brad Stuart, Ericsson seems to be the leading internal candidate to replace his spot alongside Kronwall.


Niklas Kronwall: 7 years remaining at $4.75 million

Prognosis:

Despite not being seen as the Wings top defenseman with Nicklas Lidstrom on the roster, Kronwall has blossomed into a "1A defenseman" the past couple of seasons with the decline and retirement of Brian Rafalski along with Lidstrom. Kronwall should get even more ice-time on the power-play, even if a high-profile free agent is brought in, which should give a slight bump to his offensive numbers.

Thus, based on my assumptions, here is what Detroit's current depth chart looks like on the blueline:

Kronwall - ???
Ericsson - White
Quincey - Smith
Kindl

I think we all know who most Wing fans would like to fill in the question marks beside Kronwall with a certain pending UFA (Ryan Suter) that several teams will be clamoring for come July 1st. I still think there is a decent chance he re-signs with Nashville to be quite honest with you.

Also interesting has been the fact that Ken Holland has been forthright in suggesting he would entertain the notion of acquiring the rights to a UFA prior to July 1st, in order to negotiate with that player prior to the free agency frenzy. Although it is something Detroit has not done in the past, it may be a worthwhile investment to make for certain free agents, although I don't like the chances of Nashville dealing with Detroit.

Nevertheless, the Wings need to acquire at least one defenseman. If Suter isn't available, there aren't many top-pairing defenseman out there to nibble on that are unrestricted free agents. Matt Carle is a guy that isn't getting the publicity Suter is receiving, yet he led Philadelphia's blueliners in ice-time during both the regular season and playoffs, while posting 38 points in 82 regular season games this season. At 27 years of age, he is similar to Suter in that both are likely entering the prime years of their career. Although Suter appears to be their primary target, Carle appears to be a solid fall back option for the Wings to chase.

Other potential candidates available via unrestricted free agency that Detroit will keep their eye on are: Dennis Wideman (Washington), Jason Garrison (Florida), Barret Jackman (St. Louis), Carlo Colaiacovo (St. Louis).

As I mentioned earlier, I think Detroit is best served attempting to replace the likely departure of Brad Stuart internally. Between Jonathan Ericsson, Kyle Quincey or Brendan Smith, one of them should emerge to fill that role over the course of the season. However, Jackman and Colaiacovo might provide a good alternative if the Red Wings do indeed look outside of the system to replace Stuart.

Despite all of the cap space Holland has to play with, there are no guarantees Detroit is able to entice Suter or Carle to become a Red Wing. If so, Holland & Co. might look at acquiring a defensemen via trade. There have been some rumblings about Mike Green from Washington or even P.K. Subban from Montreal being potential pieces moved by their respective clubs as they struggle to reach a contract with those respective restricted free agents.

All I'm suggesting here is that Holland and his management group will exhaust every possible avenue necessary to find a suitable replacement to help eat up the minutes once allotted for #5. Given the number of teams seemingly interested in Suter (if he even hits the market), it might not be as easy as you would think for Detroit to resolve this situation.

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In case you missed it, what a classy gesture by Lidstrom and his wife Annika taking out a full-page ad in the Sunday edition of the Detroit Free Press to say thanks for 21 fantastic years in the Metro Detroit Area.

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Lastly, tragedy struck the Red Wing family once again this week as Red Wing draft pick and prospect Bryan Rufenach died while travelling in Switzerland at the age of 23.

James Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press provides us with further details. After losing former assistant coach Brad McCrimmon, former Red Wing Ruslan Salei and prospect Stefan Liv in the Lokomotiv plane crash back in September of last year, the Red Wings lose another member of their family under tragic circumstances.

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