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

Brian Lashoff

Position: Defense

Age: 24

Height/Weight: 6-3/212

2013-14 stats: 75 games, one goal, five assists, six points, minus-2 rating, 36 penalty minutes; (playoffs) five games, no goals, no assists, no points, minus-3 rating, no penalty minutes.

Career stats: 106 games, two goals, nine assists, 11 points, minus-12 rating, 51 penalty minutes; (playoffs) eight games, no goals, no assists, no points, minus-3 rating, no penalty minutes.

Contract status: Two years remaining at a cap hit of $725,000. He'll be a restricted free agent when the deal expires.

2013-14 in review: Ranked third among the team's defensemen and fourth overall in games played. ... Was a healthy scratch in the first four games of the season and then played in 80 of the final 83, including all five playoff games. ... He didn't miss any games with injury. ... He averaged much less ice time (14:25) than he did as a rookie in 2013 (17:47) and improved from a minus-10 in just 31 games to a minus-2 in 75 games. ... Was fourth on the club in blocked shots (93). ... Scored lone goal on Feb. 6 at Florida. ... Averaged 2:21 per game on the penalty kill.

2014-15 outlook: After being paired with Jakub Kindl for much of last season, Lashoff will be competing with Kindl for the sixth spot on defense. It should be Kindl's job to lose, making Lashoff the seventh defenseman. But Lashoff finds a way to get into the lineup. The undrafted free agent was a late bloomer who got his foot in the door early in the 2013 season when the team was decimated by injuries on defense. He's appeared in 106 of 129 games since he was first recalled from Grand Rapids. The quintessential stay-at-home defender, he just needs to play a safe, simple game; move the puck, limit mistakes, kill penalties. He's young but his future with the organization is in question, since the Red Wings have several promising young defensemen who are a year or two away from reaching the NHL.

Key question: If the Red Wings have a long-term injury on defense, should they play Lashoff or call up a top prospect from Grand Rapids?

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