(Another in a series of player profiles prior to training camp Sept. 18-23.)

Joakim Andersson

Position: Center

Age: 25

Height/Weight: 6-2/206

2013-14 stats: 65 games, eight goals, nine assists, 17 points, minus-11 rating, 12 penalty minutes; (playoffs) one game, no goals, no assists, no points, minus-1 rating, no penalty minutes.

Career stats: 108 games, 11 goals, 14 assists, 25 points, minus-8 rating, 20 penalty minutes; (playoffs) 15 games, one goal, four assists, five points, plus-1 rating, 10 penalty minutes.

Contract status: One year remaining at a salary-cap hit of $732,500. He'll be a restricted free agent when the deal expires.

2013-14 in review: Career highs in games, goals, assists and points. ... Minus-11 rating tied for second-worst on the club, after posting plus-2 the previous season. ... Averaged 2:37 per game on the penalty kill, nearly twice as much as the previous season (1:19). ... Won 51.4 percent of faceoffs, compared to 46.4 percent the year before. ... Missed six games with a hip flexor (Jan. 16-26). ... Missed six games with a fractured foot (March 11-22). ... Was a healthy scratch in five of the final six regular season games and four of the team's five playoff games.

2014-15 outlook: This checking-line center had a solid rookie season in 2013, becoming a fixture in the lineup after being promoted from Grand Rapids. But he regressed last season, essentially losing his job to Luke Glendening near the end of the year. Andersson has the size and defensive acumen for a fourth-line center but needs to be more gritty, physical and agitating, like Glendening. Andersson had 51 hits and blocked shots combined last season, compared to 130 hits and blocked shots combined for Glendening, who played nine fewer games. Andersson appears to be the 13th or 14th forward heading into the season. Glendening is his main competition for a spot in the lineup. The club's depth at center (Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Stephen Weiss, Riley Sheahan, Darren Helm and Glendening) could result in Andersson eventually being moved.

Key questions: Should Andersson be the team's fourth-line center? Does he have a long-term future in the organization?

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

-- Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage on Twitter

-- Like MLive's Detroit Red Wings Facebook page