Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

Organization executives were off to a board meeting to rubber-stamp expansion while Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland had other travel plans.

"I need to be where the GMs are," he told the Free Press, which is why he wanted to go to Buffalo today, well ahead of the weekend's NHL entry draft.

Holland has several items he hopes to accomplish -- first and foremost, moving the contract of the retired Pavel Datsyuk, which has one year left at a salary cap hit of $7.5 million. (No team would have to pay the actual $5.5 million salary.)

Holland has "talked to a few teams" about the situation, but early demands have focused on 2015 first-round pick Evgeny Svechnikov and Andreas Athanasiou, whose speed and ability to create something out of nothing repeatedly was demonstrated down the stretch this past season.

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Holland has said he doesn't want to sacrifice significant future assets for moving Datsyuk's contract, while, at the same time, acknowledging how much swinging a deal would enable the Wings to bolster their team.

Teams can begin interviewing unrestricted free agents Saturday. Offers can be made starting at noon July 1.

One thing to note: With UFAs such as Kyle Quincey and Brad Richards (a combined $7 million) coming off of the books, the Wings are able to make an offer in the $10-million range to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos without moving Datsyuk's contract.

Of course, surrendering a high pick or prospect also would look a whole lot more amenable if the Wings sense that they can land Stamkos.

Another objective is to trade goaltender Jimmy Howard, who has three years left at $5.3 million per season. It may well take retaining some of the salary to get that done. One potential, albeit unlikely, trade partner disappeared Monday when the Toronto Maple Leafs shored up their nets by trading for Anaheim's Fredrik Andersen.

While Holland headed to Buffalo, team executives Jimmy Devellano and Tom Wilson are to attend a board of governors meeting Wednesday in Toronto to vote on approving Las Vegas as the 31st NHL team in 2017-18. The Wings are in relatively good shape if early reports about 2017 expansion draft rules hold up. Expectations are that teams will be able to protect seven forwards, three defensemen and one goaltender or eight skaters and one goalie.

First- and second-year pros will be exempt, so the Wings wouldn't have to protect the likes of Dylan Larkin, Athanasiou nor Anthony Mantha, should he make the Wings. Players with no-movement clauses through 2017-18 must be protected, but that's no problem for the Wings, whose only NMC is Datsyuk's. Players with no-trade clauses can be exposed.

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Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.