DETROIT – Detroit Red Wings general manager Ken Holland plans to increase dialogue with some of the team’s unrestricted free agents over the next few days in an effort to sign them by the Feb. 25 trade deadline.

The Red Wings have seven pending UFAs, three of whom they would like to sign – goaltender Jimmy Howard, forward Gustav Nyquist and defenseman Nick Jensen.

If Holland doesn’t at least have the parameters in place for deals with any of these three, then he might be inclined to move them rather than risk losing them for nothing on July 1.

All three have spent their entire NHL careers in Detroit and have expressed a desire to stay. But it’s still business.

“We’ve had exploratory talks,” Holland said, without identifying which players he’s trying to re-sign. “I’ve got to, here in the next few days, crank it up to another level.

“I’d like to think before the deadline that we’re either signing them or close, where we sort of have the makings of a deal and you’re hanging onto the player. It would be the very worst-case scenario if I don’t trade somebody and then that player we have interest in re-signing leaves on July 1.”

The Red Wings decided early in the season that they want to retain Howard. A two-year deal in the neighborhood of his current cap hit ($5.3 million) or less seems possible.

The club is pleased with Howard’s play this season. None of the organization’s goaltending prospects is close to being NHL-ready and Howard is better than anyone in Grand Rapids.

Nyquist has 13 goals and 46 points, well on pace to surpass his career high of 54 points. He’s in his final year at a $4.75 million cap hit.

The Red Wings want to re-sign the right-handed Jensen because they value his skating and penalty-killing ability. He is third among the team’s defensemen in average ice time and wouldn’t cost a lot to re-sign.

Their other unrestricted free agents are Niklas Kronwall, who is expected to retire after the season, Thomas Vanek, Martin Frk and Luke Witkowski.

It’s possible the Red Wings don’t trade anybody by the deadline.

“There’s not going to be a marketplace for all seven,” Holland said. “There’s only so many buyers, and we’re not going to re-sign all seven because we got some kids that we got to make room for in ’19-20. Those are all the things that as we make the decisions leading up to Feb. 25 that affect the decision-making. Certainly, I don’t want to get to Feb. 25 and don’t trade a player that’s got value on the marketplace and then we don’t get him signed. That would be a very bad job by me.”

Holland is hoping the trade deadline adds urgency to both sides.

“The best deals are made when there’s pressure on both sides and one side doesn’t have more leverage than the other,” Holland said. “Certainly, if you get by Feb. 25 and I don’t have the parameters (of deals) or an idea of what it’s going to take, then shame on me.”