Andrej-Nestrasil-scores

The Red Wings took a look at Andrej Nestrasil for 13 games and decided he needs more seasoning in the minors.

(The Associated Press)

DETROIT - The Detroit Red Wings, needing to clear a roster spot for Stephen Weiss, had a couple of options.

Ultimately, they were prepared to risk losing young forward Andrej Nestrasil on waivers. He still hasn't proven himself to be an everyday NHL player and would have been buried further down the depth chart once Pavel Datsyuk and Weiss return from injuries and after the club promotes top prospect Anthony Mantha, which it will likely do if he produces in the AHL the next few weeks.

If Nestrasil clears waivers at noon Thursday he'll be assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins. If he's claimed, the Red Wings feel they have forwards who can step in if there are injuries, like Mitch Callahan, Landon Ferraro and, when he returns from injury, Tomas Nosek.

They'll probably give Mantha a look regardless.

"The bottom line is Nesty has to play hockey," Red Wings general manager Ken Holland said. "It's great to practice in the NHL every day but to get better as a player you need to play games. He hasn't even had a full year in the American Hockey League.

"The NHL is not a league to be developing players."

They don't want to lose Nestrasil, who has a good combination of size (6-3, 200) and skills, but if they do, Holland said, "With Mantha, Ferraro, Callahan, we got young players that aren't far away."

The Red Wings could have assigned Tomas Jurco to Grand Rapids since he is exempt from waivers, but coach Mike Babcock wants to play the young forward, despite his early season struggles.

They could have waived Daniel Cleary, but Holland said they value his leadership and his voice in the dressing room. Babcock and several veterans pushed hard for the team to re-sign Cleary in 2013.

Holland said they could have delayed the decision to waive Nestrasil if they had known before noon that defenseman Brendan Smith would need to go on short-term injured reserve (minimum seven days) due to a hand infection (they didn't find out until after 2 p.m.).

But it would have only delayed the inevitable. Plus, Smith's injury made room for young defenseman Xavier Ouellet, who Babcock wanted on the season-opening roster.

Babcock said of Nestrasil: "He needs to play in the American Hockey League. He's not quite ready for this level. Maybe one day he'll play. His pace was good at the start but you know the league changes. ... I don't know how a kid like that grows playing no minutes and sitting in the crowd."

Weiss is healthy and the Red Wings need to get him in the lineup next week to see if he can be the player they thought they were getting when they signed him to a five-year, $24.5 million contract in July 2013. If he's not, they'll likely buy out the final three years of his contract after the season.

The Red Wings can't waive Weiss because he has a no-movement clause.

Weiss, who injured his groin during a conditioning stint in Grand Rapids on Oct. 29, will play for the Griffins Friday at Lake Erie. If all goes well, he'll play the next night in Grand Rapids and then return to Detroit.

"When you haven't been healthy, you got to get yourself playing," Babcock We got an obligation to help him help himself so that's what we're trying to do but his part is to play well so he can get in the lineup and get playing."

If Nestrasil is claimed, that team must keep him on the NHL roster for at least 30 days.

"I really don't know what the best option would be for me," Nestrasil said. "This is the organization I would love to play for, but if someone else claims me then I would be happy to go somewhere else."

Nestrasil, a late bloomer who spent a portion of his first two pro seasons with Toledo in the ECHL, said he surprised everyone by making the season-opening roster.

"If you told me before the season that I'm going to start here and play (13) games I would take it 100 percent," Nestrasil said. "So it sucks. Everyone wants to play in the NHL, but on the other hand at least I proved to a lot of people I could play here, especially to myself. It's a great motivation to go wherever and keep working because I know I can play in this league."

-- Download the Detroit Red Wings on MLive app for iPhone and Android

-- Follow Ansar Khan and Brendan Savage on Twitter

-- Like MLive's Detroit Red Wings Facebook page