Helene St. James

Detroit Free Press

In a short span of time, the Detroit Red Wings changed optics from bleak to considerably better.

Spending power was created last weekend at the draft, and then used Friday to add four forwards who will create the internal competition vital for a successful team. The Wings do not look like a Stanley Cup contender as is, but they are in much better shape than in the immediate aftermath of Pavel Datsyuk’s announcement that he’s returning to Russia.

Frans Nielsen, signed Friday from the New York Islanders, fills a need at center. And a one-year gamble on Thomas Vanek, signed from the Minnesota Wild, could pay off with 20-25 goals, which over the course of a season should translate to three-to-five more victories.

Steve Ott, signed from St. Louis, ideally turns out to be Dallas Drake 2.0, the type of boundlessly enthusiastic veteran who keeps opponents honest, and who at the very least serves as an effective penalty killer and insurance for Drew Miller as he attempts a comeback from a rebuilt knee.

With Darren Helm re-signed, the Wings have 12 forwards signed to one-way contracts, along with Dylan Larkin, plus restricted free agent Teemu Pulkkinen. That’s 14 forwards for 12 spots, but one or more could be moved in a trade, creating opportunities for the next generation.

“Going to camp, we expect Andreas Athanasiou, Anthony Mantha, Tomas Nosek, Tyler Bertuzzi — some of those kids are going to make the team,” general manager Ken Holland told the Free Press. “We’re holding a spot or two for the kids if they can make it.

“We believe we have a good mix of veterans and kids. We wanted to see a push from beneath for jobs. They have to earn it.”

Holland wants to see a gradual “changing of the guard,” as he calls it, similar to how a decade ago Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg little by little relieved Steve Yzerman and Brendan Shanahan. Larkin has shown he has the drive to do that, and Nielsen was brought in with Larkin very much in mind.

Red Wings will search for defensemen outside free-agent market

With Zetterberg in his mid-30s, he ideally moves to wing, and Larkin, with a year of NHL experience under his belt, becomes the team’s No. 1 center. Nielsen will alleviate Larkin’s growing pains because Nielsen is an excellent and dependable No. 2 center who also can play on a top line (as he did with John Tavares and Kyle Okposo during the New York Islanders’ playoff run).

The Wings’ director of pro scouting, Mark Howe, has seen a lot of Nielsen over the years and gave him high marks.

“His consistency is what you like the most about him,” Howe said. “You rarely see him have a bad game. He can be used in different situations. He’s committed to defending. He’s just a good all-around hockey player and willing to do whatever the coach asks of him to help the team have success.”

Larkin spent most of last season playing wing, but he’s been a center before, and his skating ability and smarts will help him succeed at the spot in the NHL. In turn, Zetterberg — who tailed off last season after a very good first half — gets to do less skating as a wing and has Larkin to carry the puck.

Speed is essential to success in today’s NHL, which is why keeping Helm matters. The Wings know what they have in him — a fast skater who competes and can play anywhere.

Vanek is a gamble, but he’s got 316 goals in 817 NHL games. The Wings considered Alexander Radulov (who has 47 goals in 154 NHL games) but preferred Vanek at $2.6 million to the $5.75 million Radulov got from Montreal. If Vanek looks disinterested in salvaging his career, it’ll be easy enough to not put him in the lineup. And if Ott doesn’t work out, he can be buried in the minors for salary cap relief.

When Datsyuk announced his decision on June 18, the Wings looked like they’d be likely to miss out on the playoffs (but not at so poorly a pace that they’d necessarily get a top-four pick). Now they look like they will be able to compete, and they have the assets to get even better via a significant trade.

Contact Helene St. James: hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Check out our Red Wings Xtra app on Apple and Android!