DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings have a toughness void and have shown some interest in defenseman Luke Witkowski, a source said.

The 6-foot-2, 217-pound Witkowski will hit the free-agent market at noon Saturday.

He's best remembered by Red Wings fans as the Tampa Bay player who exacted revenge on Anthony Mantha in a March 30 fight that resulted in the Detroit rookie suffering a broken finger that ended his season.

Witkowski, 27, had no goals, four assists and 39 penalty minutes in 34 games for the Lightning last season, when he earned the league minimum of $575,000.

He's a native of Holland, Mich., who played four seasons at Western Michigan, including 2010-11 for Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill.

The Red Wings have seven returning defensemen on their roster and are expected to sign Trevor Daley on Saturday. Witkowski would be added to an already crowded blue line, where the team would have more players than it can keep on the roster. If signed, Witkowski likely would compete for a roster spot and sent to the Grand Rapids Griffins if he cleared waivers, if he didn't make the cut.

The team doesn't know what to expect from Niklas Kronwall, whose bad knee isn't going to improve, and Ryan Sproul might not be ready for the start of the season following off-season ACL surgery.

The Red Wings signed forward Steve Ott last summer to add some toughness and abrasiveness. They traded him to Montreal at the deadline for a sixth-round pick.

Other than Justin Abdelkader and Jonathan Ericsson, Detroit doesn't have many players who fight - or who they want to see fighting. Witkowski had six fighting majors last season, three with the Lightning and three with AHL Syracuse.

Witkowski has appeared in parts of three seasons with the Lightning (no goals, four assists, 58 penalty minutes in 54 games).