Bruins-Red Wings preseason 9-28-15

A big defenseman who plays a physical game is the Detroit Red Wings' biggest need entering next season, according to voting by readers in an MLive poll.

(AP File Photo)

MLive readers have plenty of ideas when it comes to improving the Detroit Red Wings before the start of next season.

Our poll asking "Where do the Red Wings need to improve most this summer?" drew 2,955 votes and more than 800 comments at last check.

The most popular response was a big, physical defenseman, which got more than 1,000 votes. That accounted for almost 34 percent of all ballots cast.

A scoring winger is the Red Wings' second-biggest need with 601 votes, according to readers, followed by an offensive defenseman (491) and top-six center (486) with "other" needs getting 72 votes.

"If the other team does not score you will never do worse than a draw," wrote reader MarcChristophe, perhaps forgetting there are no longer ties in the NHL while still making a valid point. "Defense wins championships. We have plenty of scorers but they do not receive the required support. So I believe that the Wings need to rebuild the defense first. I still wonder if the Wings ought to move Ericsson to offense (where he used to play) and mold him into the next Holmstrom."

Fair enough, but other readers pointed out that you can't win if you don't score.

"Biggest need is a goal scorer willing & able to play on the inside," wrote reader akscott. "They have a bunch of capable lane fillers, but very few effective forecheckers, and not enough guys creating space by breaking down D coverage. Kyle Okposo, Troy Brouwer, Abdelkader, & Athanasiou mixed in with guys like Tatar, Nyquist, Zetterberg, & Mantha would create a much better mix and create much more consistent goal scoring. It hasn't been the defense that's failed them in the playoffs."

If the Red Wings are going to target a defenseman, one that can provide some offensive help might be their best bet.

"Here's my archaic 56 yr old analytics," wrote reader 81GRRBronco. "Goals Against increased by 8 whereas Goals For decreased by 22 from last season. Sorry folks but a Tough Physical Defenseman isn't the remedy to fix that problem."

And finally, the Red Wings' power play struggled for much of the season but especially in the playoffs.

The power-play was 1-for-25 (.040) in a five-game loss to Tampa Bay - that still ranks as the worst of all 16 playoff teams - and was 0-for-15 in the final three games of the series.

That all led to this suggestion as the Red Wings' biggest need:

"A power play coach," wrote reader SFWingsFan.

What do you think the Red Wings need most before next season?

-- Follow MLive Sports on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

-- Download the Detroit Red Wings on MLive app for iPhone and Android

-- Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage on Twitter