Red Wings general manager Ken Holland is taking a wait-and-see approach to a potential cap issue prior to the season (Brendan Savage/MLive).

Team with top payroll missed playoffs by a wide margin

You wouldn’t expect a team that finished 16 points out of a playoff spot to have the highest payroll in the NHL, but that’s where the Detroit Red Wings rank, according to capfriendly.com.

The Red Wings might be slightly over the $75 million cap before the start of the regular season after Andreas Athanasiou is signed. Cap relief from long-term injured reserve could buy them some time, but they might eventually need to trade or waive a player to get cap compliant.

How did they get in this predicament? They signed several players to big money, long-term contracts, players who haven’t performed as expected, going back to Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader in 2015 to Danny DeKeyser and Darren Helm in 2016.

How do they resolve the issue? MLive readers weighed in:

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Darren Helm's contract and health could make him difficult to move if the Red Wings pursued that option (Melanie Maxwell/MLive).

If trade is needed, what are the options?

Q: I tried to think of some scenarios for the Wings to get back under the (salary cap) ceiling. While trading (Mike) Green or (Riley) Sheahan are certainly realistic options, I was wondering what your thoughts were on the possibility of trading Darren Helm to the Penguins, who have a hole at the third-line center position after losing Nick Bonino to free agency. Obviously, Helm is damaged goods, and the Wings would likely have to retain a significant portion of his remaining salary, but it might be a better option than dealing Sheahan. Sheahan is probably worth more to the Wings than he would net in any trade. Helm, however, doesn't seem to have much of a role on a Wings team that is likely still on their way to hitting rock bottom. Helm, when healthy (rarely, lately) is a really good third-line center. Pittsburgh doesn't have much cap space, either, but would they consider a sale-priced Helm over other, cheaper options? Obviously, if Matt Cullen re-signs with the Penguins, this issue is moot. – Matt

A: They're going to see what unfolds in training camp and the preseason before making any move. They anticipate injured players (Tomas Tatar, Luke Glendening, Niklas Kronwall) being ready to go at the start of the season but won't know for sure until they get rolling. Plus, there's always the possibility of injury in camp and the preseason.

They’ll be only slightly over the cap after Andreas Athanasiou signs and Johan Franzen is placed on LTIR, if everyone is healthy. Rather than trade a regular in the lineup like Helm, Sheahan or Green, I think they’d waive someone.

Regardless, they’re not going to move Green unless they’re out of the playoff picture at the trade deadline. He’s their only offensive threat on the blue line and would leave a significant void on an already weak power play.

Helm, with four years and $14.75 million remaining on his contract, and given his injury issues, would be difficult to move unless the team retains some salary. I doubt they want to add more dead cap space in addition to what Stephen Weiss is costing them.

I agree that Sheahan is probably worth more to them – especially if he can return to form – than what they could get for him in a trade.

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Ryan Sproul played in only 27 games as a rookie in 2016-17 (AP file photo).

Could Sproul be the odd-man out?

Q: It would be a shame if (the Red Wings') cap problems forced them to waive Ryan Sproul. He should have gotten more opportunities to play last season. We could use his size and big righty shot. Of course, his defense is still a work in progress. He'd get claimed in an instant. – Jim

A: Sproul, who suffered a torn ACL on March 4, might not be ready for the start of the season. If he's forced to start on LTIR, that might alleviate their cap issue, at least temporarily.

If not, I could see them trying to trade Sproul for a draft pick, and if that failed, just waiving him. His size (6-4) and offensive potential are enticing, but can he shore up the defensive holes in his game? They have some defensemen in the system who’ll be knocking on the door in the next couple of years in Robbie Russo, Filip Hronek, Vili Saarijarvi and Dennis Cholowski.

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Jaromir Jagr screens Red Wings goaltender Jared Coreau during a game in Florida last season (AP file photo).

How about adding the oldest player in hockey?

Q: Should the Wings go after Jaromir Jagr? If not, why not? – Bill

A: They could use a winger with some goal-scoring ability but don't have the cap space. If they cleared enough space to sign another free agent -- which seems unlikely, at least before the start of the season -- they'd likely try to sign Thomas Vanek instead of Jagr. They know what they'd be getting in Vanek, who fit in well last season, and he's 12 years younger than Jagr. But I doubt either will wind up in Detroit.

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John Tavares will be at the head of the 2018 free-agent class if he doesn't re-sign with the Islanders (AP file photo).

Preparing for the Tavares Sweepstakes in 2018

Q: Looks like John Tavares is already planning his escape from New York. What are the odds the Wings can make a splash and get him next summer? He'd be the ideal replacement for Henrik Zetterberg. – L.C.

A: Highly unlikely. Just like their pursuit of Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos last year, the Red Wings are sure to reach out to Tavares next off-season if he hits the free-agent market. But I imagine he'd be looking to join a team on the upswing, if not one that's ready to contend for the Stanley Cup. Can't picture a player of that caliber, at that age (27), wanting to get involved in a rebuild, especially since he'll have other options.

(If you have a Red Wings-related question, e-mail me at akhan1@mlive.com.)

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