DETROIT – The youngsters called up from Grand Rapids to help the Detroit Red Wings stay afloat during a rash of injuries have impressed coach Mike Babcock more and more with each game.

And that could lead to some interesting decisions when the Red Wings finally get healthy.

The Red Wings will have to make some roster moves when Pavel Datsyuk, Stephen Weiss and Joakim Andersson are ready to return and the only players exempt from waivers are Luke Glendening, Riley Sheahan and Tomas Jurco.

The problem is, all three are playing well and Babcock sounds a lot like somebody who wants to keep the youngsters in Detroit. So what eventually unfolds is going to be interesting to watch.

"What we're going to do is talk about it and the best guys are going to play," Babcock said after Sunday's 5-4 shootout loss to the Florida Panthers at Joe Louis Arena.

"It's not going to have anything to do with age, it's just going to be what have you done here lately. They're pushing real hard. Riley Sheahan, (Tomas Tatar), Jurco, that line was really good" against Florida.

To keep the youngsters around, the Red Wings could opt to expose some of their veterans to waivers -- something they've already done this season with Cory Emmerton, Jordin Tootoo, Patrick Eaves and Mikael Samuelsson.

Potential candidates could include Daniel Cleary and Todd Bertuzzi, who have both struggled offensively this season.

Cleary, who was supposed to be a healthy scratch vs. Florida before Henrik Zetterberg missed the game with a back injury, has four goals and four assists in 51 games. Bertuzzi – who was a healthy scratch against the Panthers – has six goals and five assists in 44 games.

But the Red Wings might be reluctant to waive either.

Cleary and Bertuzzi are team leaders both in the dressing room and on the ice. The Red Wings might want their experience in the postseason if they can extend their playoff streak to 23 seasons.

Eaves will need to be placed on waivers again to be sent down because he has been on the NHL roster for more than 30 days and played more than 10 games since being recalled from Grand Rapids.

As for the youngsters, it's not hard to see what Babcock likes.

Glendening is a good penalty killer whose defensive play gets under the skin of opponents and has a big fan in Babcock. Sheahan is a big forward who has three goals to go with five assists in 12 games. Jurco is a slick forward who has two goals and three assists in 13 games.

Sheahan and Tatar both had a goal and an assist against Florida while playing on a line with Jurco, who drew an assist. Sheahan has scored in two straight games.

"With guys coming back, you're trying to replace them and do what you can to help the team," said Sheahan, who realizes he's a top candidate to return to Grand Rapids. "Their spots, they'll have the edge on you when it comes to the lineup, but right now I'm just trying to help the team win.

"We're doing the best we can right now. Every team gets hit with some adversity and it's just a matter of how you react to it. You play through it. That's all we're trying to do right now."

The Red Wings might have to start making decisions as early as Tuesday, when Andersson is hoping to return for Detroit's game in Philadelphia.