Xavier Ouellet

Xavier Ouellet is projected to make the Red Wings roster this season.

(The Associated Press)

The Detroit Red Wings start training camp Friday, and it'll be different. They'll be missing seven players who are taking part in the World Cup and at least four others who are injured.

Younger players competing for a roster spot, a spot in the lineup or more minutes will have a better opportunity to show what they can do in camp and the preseason.

That doesn't necessarily mean there will be greater competition for jobs. When this team is fairly healthy its roster will be crowded. It doesn't seem like there is much, if any, room for someone to win a job based on his camp and preseason performance, which doesn't sit well with at least one MLive reader.

Q: On several occasions I have heard you mention that Xavier Ouellet is assured of a roster spot this season. Are you inferring this from his call-ups the last couple of seasons (over Ryan Sproul, Robbie Russo and Nick Jensen) or do you have other sources that cause you to report as much. It sounds as if there is no real competition for that seventh spot on the blue line. It seems that this has become a trend within the Wings organization. While (general manager Ken) Holland likes to talk about competition for jobs, should Wings fans truly believe that jobs may be won in camp and the preseason? I have a hard time believing that (Thomas) Vanek or (Steve) Ott will be immediately waived if significantly outplayed by anyone in Grand Rapids capable of filling a similar role. - Justin

A: Ouellet will be on the season-opening roster, it's safe to assume. He has more NHL experience (30 games, compared to one combined for the other three), he has been ahead of the others in the pecking order for call-ups and the organization believes he's further along defensively. I don't see that changing during camp and the preseason.

So, in that sense, I think you're right in stating there is no "real" competition for the seventh spot.

Sproul, who should sign a one-year deal this week, is intriguing because of his size (6-4, 206) and offensive ability. Like Ouellet, Sproul no longer is exempt from waivers. I think he would be claimed if waived. Maybe they'll start the season with eight defensemen if another forward or two is banged up.

The only way Jensen or Russo make the roster is if there are multiple injuries. I think Jensen would clear waivers, Russo is exempt.

Up front, I think there could be some competition for a spot since Tomas Jurco (back surgery) is more than a month away, Teemu Pulkkinen (shoulder) might not be ready for the start of the season and Henrik Zetterberg (knee) might not be skating in camp, though he is expected to be ready for the season opener.

I would expect Martin Frk, their top pick in 2012, to get a good, long look in preseason. He's no longer exempt from waivers, so the organization has to decide whether to keep him on the roster or risk losing him for nothing.

Andreas Athanasiou will try to show he deserves to be in the lineup and not in Grand Rapids, since he's waiver-exempt. I don't think Anthony Mantha will be on the season-opening roster unless he has a great preseason and injuries create an opening among their top nine forwards.

So a few things need to be sorted out, but you're correct in asserting veterans like Vanek and Ott are assured of jobs, at least at the start of the season.

Q: A recent poll of the top 50 NHL players by NHL.com did not contain a single Red Wings player. Similarly, a recent poll of the top 50 NHL prospects by ESPN.com did not contain a single Red Wings prospect. Is the national media selling the Wings short or are local media and fans overrating the team, its management and its farm system? I have a hard time believing that the trajectory of this team will change without an influx of truly high-end talent. - Jay

A: I don't think they're being sold short or overrated. They're a middle-of-the-pack team with concerns both offensively and on defense. They could move up a few notches if they get great goaltending and several players bounce back from underachieving seasons, or they could move down some slots (and out of the playoffs) if that doesn't happen.

The influx of high-end talent probably isn't going to come through free agency or trades. I think it will take several years of high draft picks, meaning an extended playoff drought.

Q: Coach Jeff Blashill appeared to be on a learning curve last season. There was a lot of line juggling, scoring was down for several players and the team was inconsistent. What do you foresee this season? Can Blashill build this team into a more effective unit and get the most out of his players? - K. Jones

A: I think he can, based on his track record of success at other levels.

Almost every player's production declined and the power play wasn't nearly as effective. Some of that falls on the coaching. You would think at least some of these players, notably Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar, will score more and that Frans Nielsen and Vanek will help compensate for the offense lost with Pavel Datsyuk's departure.

Blashill must find ways to maximize players' abilities. Something systematically needs to change to generate more offense. As a first-year coach, I think Blashill leaned too much on veterans. Players like Tatar, Nyquist and Athanasiou need more minutes.

Q: What do you think Blashill has learned from his first season in the NHL? I got the impression that he really, really did not want to miss the playoffs during his first season as coach and as a result he overplayed his aging vets and made a lot of hyper conservative decisions that looked like he was coaching not to lose. - Justin

A: I think you'll see a different approach in how he handles veterans. Kronwall won't be leading the team in ice time again. I would think he and Henrik Zetterberg will have their minutes reduced and perhaps they'll be rested on some back-to-back situations to keep them fresher the second half. If Jonathan Ericsson struggles I think Blashill will sit him. If Vanek doesn't deliver or Ott isn't doing his job I think they'll be scratched.

Q: When Tomas Jurco and Teemu Pulkkinen are healthy, how many games can they play in Grand Rapids to get in shape without affecting their waiver situation?

If Johan Franzen retired, what would the effect be to the salary cap? Hypothetical situation, the Wings release Franzen and Jonathan Ericsson, what would the effect be to the salary cap? - Rod

A: Players returning from injury or those who haven't played in some time can spend a maximum of two weeks in the AHL on a conditioning stint, which typically are for two or three games. The player counts toward the NHL club's 23-man roster and salary cap while in the minors.

Jurco and Pulkkinen certainly will play a few games in Grand Rapids before they return to the Red Wings.

Franzen is not going to retire. He'd be sacrificing the remaining $7.5 million on his contract and would leave the club with a cap recapture penalty. He'll remain on long-term injured reserve, which provides cap relief.

They can't just release a player. The player must be waived. If he clears, he can be assigned to Grand Rapids. But the maximum cap relief is only $950,000. In Ericsson's case, $3.3 million would remain on the cap, so it makes no sense to send him down.

The other option, besides a trade, to get rid of a player is through a buyout in the off-season. But even in that scenario, a portion of his salary remains on the cap.

Q: What could the Red Wings get for (Petr) Mrazek? After reading your season outlook on Jimmy Howard, it's apparent the team will get minimum value by trading him, or worse, carry dead cap space by buying him out. Meanwhile, he's still a reliable starter. The Wings need help at other positions and they can't trade nothing to get something. Could making Mrazek the centerpiece to a deal land them the type of player they're looking for (i.e. a young defenseman)? - Nick

A: Mrazek as the centerpiece of a deal could get them a decent return. But it's not going to happen, and it shouldn't.

At 24, Mrazek is eight years younger than Howard and we've seen his tremendous potential. He just needs to avoid fading in the second half. And even with his post-All Star break issues, he has been strong the past two playoffs, giving the team a chance against the Tampa Bay Lightning (1.88 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and three shutouts).

Even if the Red Wings missed the playoffs and started selling assets, I don't think they would move Mrazek, who could be their starter the next eight-to-10 seasons.

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