Red Wings vs. Winnipeg Jets 3-10-16

Should the Red Wings take a look at Jonathan Ericsson at forward?

(The Associated Press)

It is not uncommon for players to switch positions.

When Scotty Bowman coached the Detroit Red Wings he occasionally used Sergei Fedorov on defense and turned Mathieu Dandenault into a full-time defenseman for the most part. Their skating ability facilitated the change.

Currently, Brent Burns and Dustin Byfuglien are notable players who have moved back and forth from forward to defense.

A couple of MLive readers wonder if the Red Wings should consider such a switch.

Q: Everyone seems to agree that Detroit needs a power forward and that Jonathan Ericsson is struggling on defense. Has anyone considered putting E back into a forward role and grooming him to be the next (Tomas) Holmstrom? E is not afraid of contact and he is big. -- Mark

A: I've seen this suggested in the past (also moving Brendan Smith from defense to forward) and Ericsson was a forward in Sweden until around age 17. But I don't believe they have ever considered doing this.

Ericsson has played defense for a long time now. At age 32, I think it's too late for a position change.

Q: I was just wondering if you could see Jonathan Ericsson forming into a good goalie screen, that would play for offense on probably the third or fourth line? -- Geek Freak

A: I think they're comfortable with their two net-front power-play guys in Justin Abdelkader and Riley Sheahan.

Ericsson, with his big frame, might provide a good screen, but his lack of mobility wouldn't help with puck retrievals and clearing and re-entering the zone quickly. That never seemed to be an issue with Holmstrom, but he was one of a kind.

Q: I love the Red Wings and I like the Swedes on the team as much as the next guy, but one thing I simply cannot wrap my head around is why Ericsson seems like a constant liability and it is never addressed by coaches and management. The guy simply doesn't deliver, turns the puck over, yet he's never scratched nor considered for a trade. -- Julien

A: I think he should have been scratched at times during the regular season and the playoffs when Smith was sitting. We don't know if he's ever been considered in a trade. My guess is he hasn't. He's not a physical player but they like his size. With four years at a $4.25 million cap hit, I think he would be difficult to move, even if they explored the possibility.

Q: Under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, could Pavel Datsyuk void the current contract by agreeing to a new two-year contract with a $5 million signing bonus and an annual salary of $1.25 million a year? If so, how would his new contract effect the Wings salary cap were he to leave for the KHL? - Rod

A: Contracts can't be restructured under the CBA.

Q: If Henrik Zetterberg retires in a couple of years would the team be caught in the cap recapture? - Ford.

A: Yes. If Zetterberg retires in 2019 at age 39 and with two years remaining on his contract at an actual salary of $1 million per season, the Red Wings would face a cap recapture penalty of approximately $5.6 million in each of those final two seasons.

If Zetterberg retired with one year left on his deal, the cap recapture penalty for 2020-21 would be roughly $6.1 million.

The rule was introduced in the latest CBA in 2013 as a way of penalizing teams that circumvented the cap under the previous labor agreement by signing players to long-term deals with real low salaries at the end in order to lower the cap hit.

Here is a site that explains the rule in detail and offers examples.

Q: Since Franzen isn't on a 35-and-over contract, why can't he just retire so we wouldn't be stuck with that contract? - Patrick.

A: Retirement is a bad option for the team and the player because the Red Wings would incur a cap recapture penalty and Franzen would be sacrificing $7.5 million (his actual salary over the final four seasons).

If Franzen retired today, the Red Wings would face a cap hit of roughly $2.09 million in each of the next four seasons. Cap recapture and the 35-and-over rule are different.

This is why remaining on long-term injured reserve for the duration of the contract is the most likely scenario. He gets paid and the club gets cap relief.

Q: What is the salary cap hit the Wings will take each year if Franzen is on long-term (injured reserve)? - John

A: They will get cap relief. How much depends on how close they are to the cap when they place him on LTIR at the start of the regular season. This is why you see some strange and temporary roster moves a couple of days before the season, when teams seeking cap relief attempt to maximize the cap. The maximum relief for Franzen would be $3.95 million, his cap hit, but the relief is usually lower than that because it's difficult to arrange your roster at 100 percent of the cap.

Capfriendly.com explains the rule in detail.

Q: Zetterberg has been my favorite player since he came into the league, and up until his back surgery (February 2014) he has been a dominating force. His production since then has slipped as well as his strength on the puck. I saw you mention that he will (might) not play out the final two years of his contract. Is this then assuming his play will continue to decline? Or would you think there is still a chance for him to be the player we saw shine the first half of the 2013-14 season before his back surgery? - Nathan

A: The past two seasons have been similar in that he started strong and was productive in the first half but struggled considerably the second half and in the playoffs.

To get the most of Zetterberg they need to reduce his ice time, maybe give him the occasional game off on back-to-back nights. It's not easy to do if you're struggling for offense, and every point matters in the end. But it could help in the long run.

Q: Will Drew Miller be back? The PK missed him terribly. If he is healthy again, his quiet contributions are immeasurable. - Kathy.

A: General manager Ken Holland said he has spoken to Miller about a new contract. My guess is he will be back. I think he can still be an important fourth-line player and penalty killer.

Q: Am I the only one who hopes the Wings don't sign any of their UFAs? Miller is the only one I'd be OK with, but only because his PK is so strong, but (Darren) Helm is going to be far too expensive for his lack of offense. Why not take a look at guys like Vern Fiddler, Kyle Chipchura or Chris Kelly instead? Or take looks at top-six guys like Milan Lucic, Radim Vrbata, Mikkel Boedker, Andrew Ladd or bring back (Jiri) Hudler? - Patrick

A: I think Ladd and Troy Brouwer will be their top targets in free agency. They don't need Hudler again. They have enough smaller forwards.

I think they'll re-sign Miller (see above). Helm would need to take less than he could get on the market to return. I think it's 50-50 whether he's back. Being able to unload Datsyuk's $7.5 million cap hit (assuming he returns to Russia) would help immensely.

Q: What's up with Teemu Pulkkinen? He has sat the last (four) games for Finland at the World Championship and was a frequent healthy scratch for the Wings towards the end of the season. Seems someone with such offensive potential would be playing more. - BW

A: There was a report that he was nursing a injury. He dressed for a couple of games but didn't leave the bench, including Sunday's 2-0 loss to Canada in the gold medal game.

Potential injury aside, maybe he's viewed as too one-dimensional and a defensive liability. He brings a unique dimension with his booming right shot, but if he's not finding ways to get open like he did in the AHL then he's not effective at higher levels.

Q: Many people are asking about trades for a D-Man. I've seen names like Dougie Hamilton, Mark Giordano, Dennis Wideman, Tyler Myers, Jacob Trouba and so forth. Realistically, are the Red Wings really capable of getting any of them? We have some decent trade chips but let's be 100 percent honest, besides (Jimmy) Howard at the end of the season every trade chip that was considered big last year is now considered minuscule. And these guys that we're talking about trading for are worth more than our players. -- Emmanuel

A: You are the voice of reason. We can't have that here!

A couple of those names you listed might be had in a trade, but like you said, I don't believe the Red Wings have the assets or would be willing to part with the assets it would take to land some of those players. Wideman might be available, if he waived his no-movement clause. He wouldn't be much of an upgrade, but if that's what it takes to move Howard's contract then maybe the Red Wings would do it.

I don't know why Hamilton keeps being mentioned as a trade candidate. He's 22, 6-foot-5, shoots right and signed a six-year, $34.5 million contract last summer.

Q: I saw your last Q and A where people were being incredibly unrealistic in their potential Calgary trade offers. Am I following in those footsteps in suggesting that Howard at $4 million (some salary retention) plus a first-round pick (16th overall) and a prospect (preferably one of the use-them-or-lose-them guys) for Calgary's first-round pick (sixth overall) to grab Mikhail Sergachev (OHL Windsor)? Is Sergachev as a big, mobile defenseman really worth it? - Billy

A: No chance the Flames would bite on that. There are other goalie options (younger, more affordable), the "use-them-or-lose-them guys" you refer to (Xavier Ouellet, Ryan Sproul, Nick Jensen) don't have much trade value and the sixth pick is eminently more valuable in this loaded draft than the 16th selection.

Q: Who could replace Howard? Assuming he is traded, do the Red Wings opt for a cheap veteran (e.g. Al Montoya or Jonas Gustavsson) or finally promote (Tom) McCollum before he completely rots in the AHL? Or is there some other option? - Billy.

A: I might be wrong but I'm expecting Howard to be back. Few teams are in the market for a starting goalie, there are several other options via free agency or trade and his contract (three years at a $5.3 million cap hit) is a hindrance.

If they're able to move Howard, I'd expect them sign a veteran to back-up Petr Mrazek since Jared Coreau has no NHL experience. McCollum doesn't figure into their plans.

Free-agent back-up options include Montoya, Jeff Zatkoff, Kari Ramo, James Reimer and Chad Johnson.

Thanks for participating. If you have a Red Wings-related question, email me at akhan1@mlive.com.

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