Tomas-Tatar-Tomas-Jurco-Riley-Sheahan.JPG

One reader advocates trading someone like Tomas Jurco (left), Riley Sheahan or Tomas Tatar if the Red Wings can get a star player in return.

(AP File Photo)

The Detroit Red Wings' best players, Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg, are 36 and 34 (on Oct. 9), respectively. Their top defenseman, Niklas Kronwall, is 33. Johan Franzen will turn 35 in December.



The core is aging and the window of opportunity to win with this group is closing.



The organization has many promising prospects, but other than winger Anthony Mantha and goaltender Petr Mrazek, few appear to have star potential. That's not surprising when you haven't had a top-10 pick since 1991.



This has some wondering if the Red Wings should be more aggressive in their pursuit of high-end talent in the trade market at the expense of some good, young players, either in the pipeline or currently on the roster, in an attempt to win the Stanley Cup in the next couple of years.



Q: Datsyuk and Zetterberg only have a few years of being elite left and they need to win while the window is there within the next 2-3 years. Detroit also has more prospects than they can possibly play in the next few years when they run out of options. There is no possible way for Detroit to graduate all of those top 10-15 prospects before they're forced to waive them. Outside of guys like Mrazek, (Ryan) Sproul and Mantha, I think the rest of the talented and highly touted young guys, including (Tomas) Jurco, (Tomas) Tatar and (Brendan) Smith, should be used as trade bait. Stars don't grow on trees and Detroit needs more top-end talent that's in their prime now on offense and defense to give themselves a chance to win. If these trades don't happen, I fear that Detroit will lose many of their prospects while not helping their main roster. How aggressive is (general manager Ken) Holland pursuing a package deal for a star in a trade? – Greg



A: It's hard to say how aggressive Holland has been in trade talks, but he certainly worked the phones, realizing the declining depth of the free-agent market.



I'm not sure if you'd consider Tyler Myers or Mike Green "stars," but they were among the right-handed shooting defensemen Holland pursued. As for high-end players who were traded in the past 14 months (Bobby Ryan, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, Ryan Kesler and trade deadline rentals Thomas Vanek and Marian Gaborik), some the Red Wings weren't interested in pursuing (Ryan, Spezza, Gaborik) and others, like Kesler, they inquired about but either didn't have the assets or were reluctant to part with what it would take.



Sure, they should acquire an impact player through a trade, someone who can sort of take on the mantle from Datsyuk and Zetterberg, but it boils down to what's available and what they're willing to relinquish.



Mantha is untouchable. I think Mrazek is, too, since he's the goaltender of the future. It makes no sense to move a big, right-handed shooting defenseman like Sproul.



As for current roster players, I believe Gustav Nyquist is close to untouchable due to his skill and scoring ability.



And they're not going to deal their 2015 first-round pick in the Connor McDavid draft (you never know how those lottery balls will fall if you miss the playoffs).



Should they package someone like Tatar, Jurco or Smith with a prospect or two for a star player? Again, it depends on the return.



I don't think they're in danger of losing any forwards they want to keep due to a lack of roster space over the next few years, but they will be facing a logjam on defense. Sproul, Xavier Ouellet, Alexey Marchenko, Mattias Backman and Nick Jensen will be out of options in 2-3 years, max.



One or two of them might need to be moved in a couple of years. If the NHL expands in a few years – by up to four teams, some reports have speculated – they'll lose some players in the expansion draft.



Q: Speaking of net-front options, why is a player like Dustin Penner still available? He's a huge body (6-4, 250), has a lot of experience and is a proven scorer in front of the net. After watching every Wing treat any area within 5-10 feet of the opposing goalie off-limits in last year's playoffs, it seems that he'd be a better option than the current players on the roster. Might not be a bad signing for 1-2 years. -- Nathan



A: Penner wasn't effective in Washington (one goal, three points in 18 games) after being dealt at the deadline by Anaheim. He has just 25 goals in his past 184 games. He's big, but he isn't particularly physical and doesn't skate well. Couple that with his declining offense and I'm not sure what else he can offer. That's probably why he remains unsigned. I'd rather have Jurco in my top-six than Penner.



Q: I'm worried about the size. They need some big bodies. Are they going to pick anyone up or do they like these young kids? Last year Boston threw them around. -- Reno



A: Other than likely signing Daniel Alfredsson before training camp, Holland said he is not pursuing any free agents.



They could use some more size, but is that the main reason they lost to the Bruins? Or did Boston have more offense, a deeper defense, better special teams and superior goaltending? Lack of size didn't prevent Montreal from beating the Bruins in the second round.



The series was a learning experience for Tatar, Nyquist and other young players. I don't believe it's a sign of things to come.



Q: I'm a huge fan of Mitch Callahan's play; any chance you see him breaking 30-plus games this year? This team seems to have an overabundance of top-six forwards, especially in the system, so I'm talking Callahan, as a bottom-six player only. – Plutocracy



A: Unless they have a few injuries in the preseason, I'd expect Callahan to be waived. If he clears, they'll probably call him up from Grand Rapids on occasion to provide some physical play and abrasiveness on the fourth line. I doubt he'd get 30 games, but it would depend on how he plays, injuries and whether the Red Wings feel they need the dimension he brings.



Q: Is there any more progress on Danny DeKeyser or Mike Babcock? Silence on both is killing me. I think we really need to try hard to sign Babs for at least 3-4 years if possible. I know Danny D said it will get done, but any indications on when? -- Robert



A: DeKeyser and Holland have both stated on multiple occasions that a deal will get done. I don't why people are concerned about this. Relax. Restricted free agents often take a while to sign.



Let's look at the possibilities. Will DeKeyser sign with a Russian team? No chance. Will he receive an offer sheet from an NHL club? That's highly unlikely (it's happened only eight times since 1998). If he received an offer sheet, would the Red Wings match it? Almost assuredly (Penner, going from Anaheim to Edmonton in 2007, is the only RFA since 1997 whose team didn't match, opting for compensatory draft picks).



DeKeyser will re-sign, probably before training camp.



Holland will try to sign Babcock to an extension this month. If no deal is reached, they'll table talks until after the season. I get the feeling Babcock will not sign before the season and will evaluate his options after the season, seeing what other opportunities are available.



Q: Are there any players that won't be able to attend camp due to injuries? – Plutocracy



A: Holland said a couple of weeks ago that he anticipated everyone being healthy and ready to go for the start of camp. They're on the ice in Traverse City from Sept. 19-23.



Thanks for participating. If you have a question, email me at akhan1@mlive.com.

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