DETROIT -- The NHL’s salary cap is designed to distribute talent more evenly throughout the league.

The Detroit Red Wings have bucked the system. They have more depth than a team is supposed to be able to accumulate in this era of parity.

The Red Wings feature three potentially potent scoring lines and more role players than they can fit onto their fourth line. Their top four on defense continues to be among the strongest in the league. They have a Calder Trophy runner-up in goal.

That is why they are destined to extend the longest current playoff streak in the four major sports to 20 seasons, which would tie the franchise record (1938-39 to 1957-58).

That is why they are serious Stanley Cup contenders again.

“We’re excited about our team, but I’m also nervous about the year because of parity,” general manager Ken Holland said. “I like our potential, but given the nature of the CBA it’s nerve-wracking because it is such a fine line between being a good team and a middling to lower-level team.”

They’ve stayed on the right side of that line for some time, continuing to assemble championship-caliber clubs while others rebuild.

The salary cap has made it difficult for teams to maintain their elite status, as recent Cup champions have shown:

• Tampa Bay won the Cup in 2004, the last non-capped season, and hasn’t won a playoff series since.

• Carolina missed the playoffs in three of the four seasons after its 2006 Cup win.

• Anaheim has won one playoff series in three seasons since winning the Cup in 2007.

• Chicago has a core of star players but little depth after being forced to gut its Cup-winning roster this summer due to the cap.

The Red Wings, who won their last Cup in 2008, have been the exception.

Even during an injury-riddled season in which they battled just to make the playoffs, the Red Wings racked up 102 points, their NHL-record 10th consecutive 100-point season, and climbed to fifth in the Western Conference, their lowest finish since 1991.

They were eliminated by the San Jose Sharks in the second round of the playoffs, but are confident they will be better this season. They cite their 16-3-2 post-Olympic break run with a healthy lineup.

More importantly, they return almost everybody from last season and added three key players: sniper Jiri Hudler, third-line center Mike Modano and third-pair defenseman Ruslan Salei.

“We feel like we’re a lot deeper than we were last year,” defenseman Niklas Kronwall said. “I think everyone in here feels like it’s looking good. It’s just a matter of getting all the pieces together, getting the new guys accustomed to the system. We should be all good.”

They have high-end talent at forward with Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, and on defense with Nicklas Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski.

They have what coach Mike Babcock calls a second wave that’s as good as any team’s in Hudler, Dan Cleary, Valtteri Filppula, Todd Bertuzzi and Tomas Holmstrom up front, and Brad Stuart and Kronwall on defense.

They have a good collection of energetic role players who bring physical play and kill penalties -- Darren Helm, Drew Miller, Patrick Eaves and Justin Abdelkader.

Goaltender Jimmy Howard finished in the league’s top five in goals-against average (2.26) and save percentage (.924).

“We’re deeper than anybody else,” goalie Chris Osgood said. “Last year, we relied on Howie, Pav, Hank and Nick, and by the time the second round of the playoffs came, those guys were exhausted. We’re looking for more contributions from more guys.”

Having a healthier lineup will enable them to have the puck more. They can play their puck-possession system and dump the chip-and-chase style they were forced to adopt more often than they would have liked.

“Adding Modano, Hudler and Salei is a big help, but also adding a year on Helm, a year on Eaves, a year on Miller and a year on Abby is a huge plus,” Babcock said. “And the overall health of our team — all these guys being ready is a big deal.”

After reaching the conference finals in 2007, followed by consecutive appearances in the Stanley Cup finals, being done in early May left the Red Wings with a bitter taste.

“It’s disappointing when you lose out early. You have a lot of time to think about it, you’re a little bit motivated by it,” Stuart said. “Everybody has something to prove. It should be motivation for us.”

Said Zetterberg: “We have a good team, and we’re excited. But you have to play good. You can’t just sit here and say everything is so much better this year.”