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The Red Wings' Tomas Jurco could be a good net-front man because of his size and willingness to go the hard areas of the ice.

(The Associated Press)

Tomas Holmstrom revolutionized the art of net-front play during his 15 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings from 1996 to 2012.

It's a role the club has sorely missed the past two seasons, particularly on the power play.

This week's edition of Ask Ansar addresses net-front candidates, breakout candidates and defense prospects.

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

Q: I know we have a lot of highly rated prospects in our system but has anyone been singled out as the second coming of Tomas Holmstrom? While he wasn't a superstar, he certainly made our superstars better. It's common knowledge that he has been working with the youngsters and trying to pass on the skills it takes to stand in front of the net and take a beating without losing one's temper or taking penalties, and scoring the hard goals. Granted, Homer had some goals called off because of his reputation but was arguably the best net-front presence the NHL had seen in decades. Any kids answering the bell? (Mitch) Callahan seems like he might be tough enough to fit that mold. Anyone else come to mind? -- OBX

A: Holmstrom was one of a kind, with his knack for knowing how to position himself in front of the goaltender and move along with him to limit his vision. Add to that his remarkable hand-eye coordination that enabled him to tip pucks with precision and his puck-retrieval ability. And on top of that, he was fearless.

I doubt we'll ever see anyone like Holmstrom again.

But the Red Wings need better net-front play, especially on the power play. Justin Abdelkader, Riley Sheahan, Johan Franzen and Tomas Jurco are their best options on the current roster. Jurco, if given the opportunity, seems like he'd develop into the best net-front man of that group. He has the size (6-2, 193), the willingness to go to the hard areas of the ice and good hands.

But he's not even guaranteed a spot on the season-opening roster because he is exempt from waivers.

I don't think Callahan will make the roster, unless there's a rash of injuries. But even if he earned a spot, he'd be a fourth-line energy guy, an agitator and physical presence. I don't think he'd be spending much time around the net.

Q: There's almost always a player or two ready for a breakout season. Who's your pick(s) for the Red Wings this season? My guess is (Brendan) Smith plays well above expectations, especially in regards to offensive production. I also think (Joakim) Andersson (who'll be super motivated to keep his job) will bounce back and have a far better year than expected. -- Akscott

A: Those are two possibilities. I also think Jurco could be that breakout player, if he doesn't spend a large chunk of the season in Grand Rapids due to the Red Wings' glut of forwards.

Smith made strides last season. He had a rough start but settled down the second half. It helped being paired with Niklas Kronwall, during Jonathan Ericsson's absence. Smith has offensive upside; he skates real well and likes to rush the puck. But the Red Wings will be happy if he just continues to improve defensively.

Andersson produced more last season, but his defensive game – the only reason he is in the league – regressed, causing him to fall behind Luke Glendening in the pecking order. Andersson might be hard-pressed to win back his regular spot in the lineup.

Q: What is the Red Wings' plan with all these young and promising defense prospects they have in the minors (Ryan Sproul, Xavier Ouellet, Mattias Backman, Alexey Marchenko)? It seems that none of them will start the season in Detroit and the season after that that is hard to see two or three of them given a real chance to be regulars at the same time. Will they cash in on some of them or put (Brian) Lashoff on waivers and give the best of them an opportunity? Also what are the odds of Callahan earning a spot? -- Luka

A: The Red Wings will start the season with the same seven defensemen they used for most of 2013-14. I thought they'd be better off promoting one of those young defensemen (Ouellet, being further along defensively, would have been that guy), so he gains experience and you don't have too many of them coming up at the same time in the next couple of years.

Ouellet, Marchenko and Sproul will certainly play some games with the Red Wings during the course of the season as replacements for injured players, maybe Backman, too. Who gets called up first depends on how they're faring in Grand Rapids and what kind of player the Red Wings need at the time.

I expect Callahan to be waived after the preseason. I think he'll clear waivers, since teams usually are set with their rosters at the start of the season. If so, he'll return to Grand Rapids and the Red Wings can call him up during the season if needed.

Q: Currently, Philly, Chicago, Tampa Bay and Boston are all over the cap. I understand long-term injured reserve might help Philly and Tampa get under, but Boston still has two more skaters to sign and Chicago won't get any help from LTIR. So who will Chicago and Boston try to trade, and is there any chance (Red Wings general manager Ken) Holland would want someone like (Niklas) Hjalmarsson, especially if (Daniel Alfredsson) ends up retiring? Also, what happens if a team is over the cap when the season starts? What sort of penalties will they incur? -- Tim

A: You're right about LTIR getting Philadelphia (Chris Pronger, Kimmo Timonen) and Tampa Bay (Mattias Ohlund) under the cap. Boston and Chicago must make moves to get under.

According to capgeek.com, the Bruins are $809,000 over the cap, and they still need to sign restricted free agents Reilly Smith and Torey Krug. They have a surplus of defensemen. Unloading Johnny Boychuk ($3.3 million) might do the trick.

The Blackhawks are $2.2 million over the cap. They could look to dump one of defensemen Hjalmarsson ($4.1 million), Johnny Oduya ($3.375 million) or Nick Leddy ($2.7 million). Oduya makes the most sense to unload because he's entering the final year of his deal and will be unrestricted next summer.

I doubt the Red Wings ($5.2 million under the cap) will acquire a defenseman before the season because they'll be capped out once they sign Danny DeKeyser and Alfredsson. If Alfredsson retires, the Red Wings would have some cap space to deal for a defenseman, though they'd likely need to shed more salary (Jakub Kindl most likely).

They don't need another left-handed shooting defenseman like Hjalmarsson, however. They need a right-handed shooting power-play quarterback.

Teams can't be over the cap during the regular season. They must be cap compliant when submitting their 23-man roster a day or two before the season opener. There is no alternative.

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