The Red Wings hope to re-sign defenseman Mike Green. (The Associated Press)

The Detroit Red Wings have been active in free agency every July 1 in recent memory, whether it was making a big splash as they often did in the Stanley Cup-contending days or plugging some holes to try to keep the playoff streak alive.

But after missing the playoffs the past two seasons they are fully embracing a rebuild they know will take time and patience.

Will that preclude them from being active in a market that has become increasingly thin? Will they opt to give some prospects they would have “over-ripened” in the past more opportunity rather than bring in a veteran?

That was among the topics on the minds of MLive readers in this week’s mailbag.

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The Red Wings dealt Thomas Vanek for a draft pick at the 2017 trade deadline. (AP file photo)

Will Red Wings sign free agents to flip for picks later?

Q: Do you see the Wings signing useful veterans during free agency to short-term deals in hopes of trading them at the 2019 deadline for picks? Toronto used this formula a few years ago and was able to flip semi-useful vets for later-round picks. I know it doesn't make the club better in the short term, but it does help them to continue stock-piling draft picks. It seems the most effective way to build a contender these days is drafting, developing, making much better use of cap space, and signing free agents to complement a well-built team. -- Saskatoon Wingnut.

A: I assume you're referring to a situation like 2016, when they signed Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott to one-year deals and then moved them for picks at the trade deadline.

I don’t think they’ll do that this year. Their playoff streak was intact back then, and they were trying to extend it by adding veteran players for certain roles. Now they’re rebuilding and might be more inclined to fill with prospects who might be ready, like Evgeny Svechnikov and/or Michael Rasmussen at forward and one of Filip Hronek orJoe Hicketts on defense.

General manager Ken Holland said he hopes to see between two and five young players on the roster during the course of the season (who weren't on the 2017-18 season-opening roster).

They’ll sign a free-agent goaltender to either compete with Jimmy Howard for the No. 1 job or serve as the back-up. They would like to re-sign defenseman Mike Green. Other than that, why bother dipping into the thin free-agent pool, especially if it would require a multi-year commitment? Give the younger players an opportunity.

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Libor Sulak (left) played well in training camp and the preseason for the Red Wings. (AP file photo)

Libor Sulak must adjust to smaller North American ice

Q: How is Libor Sulak doing and how does he project with the Wings moving forward? On paper he seems to have had a good season (in the Finnish League). I've heard that he will start next season in Grand Rapids. How does Sulak project in relation to the Wings' other defense prospects (Filip Hronek, Dennis Cholowski, Vili Saarijarvi, etc.)? He seems to be a defensive prospect with some projectable abilities for the Wings (eventually). – Eli

A: After a good season in Finland (nine goals, 23 assists in 42 games for Pelicans), Sulak came to Detroit to receive treatment for an injury and then joined Grand Rapids. He played in two regular season games for the Griffins but didn't play in their first two playoff games against Manitoba over the weekend. The Griffins are pretty much set with their defense (Hronek, Hicketts, Robbie Russo, Brian Lashoff, Dan Renouf and Dylan McIlrath). Even Saarijarvi and Cholowski aren't apt to crack that lineup. Seven of those eight D-men are under contract next season (Renouf is a restricted free agent), so if one reached the NHL it would alleviate the logjam.

Sulak, an undrafted free agent the Red Wings signed to a two-year deal last summer, will compete for a roster spot in training camp but will probably start the season in Grand Rapids.

He needs a period of adjustment going from the large rinks in Europe to the smaller ice in North America, Red Wings assistant general manager Ryan Martin said.

“I think we saw a little bit of that (in a game he played), guys closed on him a little quicker than he was used to in the Elite League,” Martin said. “But he did some good things with the puck. He got up the ice a lot, was dangerous on offense, got a real knack of getting the puck through to the net.

“He’s really mobile, he can skate. He’s a big man (6-2, 207), knocked over a couple guys in the D-zone and played somewhat aggressively.”

Martin called Sulak, 24, a good prospect who looks to have a skill-set that’s transferrable to the NHL, but it will take some time.

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Matt Puempel produced 54 points in 57 games with the Griffins. (MLive/Mike Clark)

Where Matt Puempel stands in pecking order of prospects

Q: Looking at forward prospects, the cupboard seems bare after Svechnikov and Rasmussen arrive next year. Looking at Grand Rapids, Matt Puempel has had a good year, but nobody mentions his name for the future. He has good size and is only (25) and averages a point a game in the AHL. Is he a Red Wing prospect or does he have some part of his game that is blocking him from the NHL? – Dave

A: The Red Wings were relatively healthy and needed to recall only three forwards this season – Tyler Bertuzzi, Svechnikov and Dominic Turgeon. Bertuzzi, clearly, was the best option. Svechnikov hasn't played as well as Puempel this season but the Red Wings rightfully needed to give their 2015 top pick an extended opportunity in the NHL late in the season. Turgeon was needed for a different role (fourth-line center) than Puempel fills (top-nine winger). And then after the trade deadline, they were limited to four recalls, two of which were exhausted by Bertuzzi and Jared Coreau to make them eligible for the AHL playoffs (they later decided Bertuzzi is better off training than continuing to play).

Puempel has been an offensive catalyst for the Griffins (22 goals, 54 points in 57 games). He’s a restricted free agent who’ll compete for an NHL job in training camp, but the Red Wings are counting on Rasmussen to make the team and hoping Svechnikov makes a push. So, the odds don’t favor Puempel. I think he’d need to have an outstanding camp and preseason in conjunction with a few injuries on the Red Wings to have a shot at making the NHL roster.

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The Red Wings signed Kaden Fulcher to a contract following a training camp tryout. (MLive/Mike Mulholland)

Griffins' goaltending outlook

Q: I see where (Matej) Machovsky returned to the Czech Republic. Is there a chance he could return next season to play regularly in Grand Rapids, assuming (Jared) Coreau isn't re-signed? Or might they give Kaden Fulcher a look. He's having a good run with Hamilton (OHL). – Joe

A: The Red Wings could maintain Machovsky's NHL rights by making him a qualifying offer, but there's probably no point in doing that. I don't believe he figures into their plans after he turned down opportunities to play for Toledo (ECHL) or serve as the third goalie for the Griffins in the playoffs.

Fulcher, who the Red Wings signed following a training camp tryout, has helped Hamilton take a 2-0 series lead over Kingston in the Eastern Conference finals. The Red Wings have the option of sending him back to Hamilton next season for an overage junior season or turning him pro and have him go back and forth between Grand Rapids and Toledo.

Griffins goalies Tom McCollum and Jared Coreau are unrestricted free agents. I'm sure the Red Wings will look to re-sign McCollum. They'd probably be interested in bringing back Coreau, too, if he accepted a two-way deal.

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

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