The Tampa Bay Lightning’s stunningly quick exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs enables Steve Yzerman to get a head start on his duties as the new general manager of the Detroit Red Wings.

The Lightning’s season ended on Tuesday with a first-round sweep by the Columbus Blue Jackets. That allowed Yzerman to leave his position as a consultant with a Lightning in mid-April, as opposed to possibly mid-June, had the NHL’s top regular season team advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.

Yzerman will be introduced at a news conference this afternoon at Little Caesars Arena as the replacement for Ken Holland, the club’s GM since 1997 who will remain with the organization in an executive capacity.

Yzerman has a lot of work to do with a team that finished fourth from the bottom in the overall standings and has missed the playoffs the past three seasons.

Here is a look at his to-do list for the next few months:

Coaching staff: Holland announced on April 2 that head coach Jeff Blashill was extended for two years, a move ownership surely signed off on knowing Yzerman would be taking over soon, so there isn’t going to be a change behind the bench. Assistants Dan Bylsma and Doug Houda also have two years remaining on their deals.

Front office: It’s doubtful Yzerman will make significant changes right away. His long-time teammate Kris Draper has been an assistant to Holland since retiring in 2011 and likely will continue in that position. Assistant GM Ryan Martin, who Yzerman tried to hire as his assistant in Tampa Bay in 2010, oversees the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Former Red Wing Pat Verbeek, the assistant GM for the Lightning, has been rumored as a candidate for Yzerman’s staff, perhaps next season after his contract with Tampa Bay expires.

It seems doubtful Yzerman would replace Tyler Wright, the amateur director of scouting, two months before the draft, after Wright and his staff have done all of the legwork.

Red Wings’ unrestricted free agents: The Red Wings have three pending unrestricted free agents – Niklas Kronwall, Thomas Vanek and Luke Witkowski.

Holland previously indicated the club has interest in re-signing Kronwall for one season. Kronwall, 38, must decide if he wants to play another year. The club has decisions to make on Vanek and Witkowski, the latter of whom would be a low-cost option who provides a different dimension with his toughness and physicality and is respected in the room.

Entry draft: Yzerman will make the final decision on who the Red Wings select with the sixth overall pick on June 21 in Vancouver, after consultation with scouts and front-office personnel. The Red Wings are stocked with talented, young forwards, between the NHL roster and their system, but need help on defense. Bo Byram (Vancouver, WHL) and Philip Broberg (AIK, Sweden) are potential picks, if available. Centers that might interest the Red Wings at No. 6 include Dylan Cozens (Lethbridge, WHL), Kirby Dach (Saskatoon, WHL) and Alex Turcotte (U.S. National Team Development Program).

The Red Wings have nine selections on the second day, June 22, including three second-rounders.

Buyouts: The NHL’s first buyout period takes place from June 15-30. The Red Wings have a couple of bloated contracts in Justin Abdelkader and Frans Nielsen. It would cost $9.1 million over eight years to buy out Abdelkader, who has struggled the past couple of seasons, with cap hits ranging from $1.145 million to $2.4 million, according to capfriendly.com. Nielsen would cost $6.33 million over six years to buy out, with hefty cap hits of $3.8 million and $4.8 million in 2020-21 and 2021-22, respectively.

Jonathan Ericsson has one year remaining on his contract, so it is unlikely he’d even be considered for a buyout.

Free agency: Will Yzerman’s name be a selling point for any of the prime free agents available on July 1, players who might ordinarily avoid signing with a rebuilding team? The class, as of now, is headlined by defenseman Erik Karlsson (San Jose) and forwards Artemi Panarin and Matt Duchene (both from Columbus) and Jeff Skinner (Buffalo).

The Red Wings have plenty of cap space; Holland last week estimated between $15 million and $20 million. But they will also need to plan ahead for the summer of 2020, when Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha and Tyler Bertuzzi will be up for new deals.