Tomas Tatar has scored a team-leading 75 goals for the Red Wings the past three seasons. (AP file photo).

Restricted free agents have been extremely restricted

We hear it every year at this time: A top restricted free agent is a prime candidate for an offer sheet.

Occasionally, a team will try to poach an RFA by sending an offer sheet it hopes the player’s club will not match.

Ultimately, the RFA’s team almost always matches. Ten players have been tendered offer sheets since 1997 – none since 2013 when Calgary signed Ryan O’Reilly to a two-year, $10 million offer that Colorado matched.

The only instance where a club declined to match was in 2007, when Anaheim let Dustin Penner go to Edmonton (five years, $21.5 million) and received first-, second- and third-round picks as compensation.

The Oilers’ Leon Draisaitl has been mentioned as a possible offer sheet candidate this year.

An MLive reader wondered if one of the Detroit Red Wings’ RFAs, specifically Tomas Tatar or Andreas Athanasiou, might land such an offer.

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Andreas Athanasiou has scored 26 even-strength goals in 101 career games, with limited ice time. (AP file photo).

Will Tomas Tatar, Andreas Athanasiou attract interest?

Q: With the Wings up against the cap, can you envision a scenario where a team makes a huge offer to Tatar or Double-A, one the team can't match? – Joe

A: It's highly unlikely. I believe the Red Wings are prepared to sign Tatar to a deal in the $5 million-a-year range.

Gustav Nyquist, who makes $4.75 million per season, has 56 goals and 145 points in 240 games the past three seasons. Tatar has 75 goals and 147 points in 245 games over the same time frame.

I doubt another club would offer Tatar much more than the Red Wings.

Athanasiou, despite his tremendous speed and finishing ability (26 even-strength goals, 27 total, in 101 games, in limited ice time) has a small sample size, so it’s doubtful a team would sign him to a huge offer sheet that the Red Wings wouldn’t match.

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Gustav Nyquist's trade value has likely dipped the past two seasons. (AP file photo).

Do Red Wings have many tradable assets?

Q: Other than draft choices and AA/(Dylan) Larkin/(Anthony) Mantha what assets do the Wings have to make a 'hockey trade' or a 'salary cap' relief trade? – CJ

A: Not much. Other than those three young forwards, whom the club would be extremely hesitant to move, the top trading chip is Tatar. But he's also the leading goal-scorer the past three seasons combined for a team that doesn't have much offensive punch.

Nyquist, whose no-trade clause kicks in Saturday, is another trade chip. Problem is, his goal production has dipped the past two seasons (19 goals combined, compared to a total of 55 the previous two years), reducing his trade value.

By signing players like Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm and Danny DeKeyser to lucrative deals, the Red Wings essentially made long-term commitments to them because those contract would be difficult to move.

Petr Mrazek’s trade value has obviously plummeted, since he was left exposed for the expansion draft and there are few teams in the market for a starting goaltender (Philadelphia and Winnipeg among them).

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Michael Rasmussen, the Red Wings' top pick in last weekend's draft, meets NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.

Why the criticism for Rasmussen pick?

Q: Why are so many fans apparently upset with (Michael) Rasmussen? I've read his skating is decent for a guy his size, he's huge, and he's supposed to be exceptionally mature and teachable for his age. It seems like he's a safer draft pick than anyone else outside the top-two overall, given his build and mentality. Is (Gabriel) Vilardi really any better than Rasmussen? – Tim

A: Despite his size (6-6, 221), many analysts are critical of his skating ability and some fans were upset the Red Wings didn't select a better skater with the emphasis on speed around the league increasing. Some fans would have preferred forwards Vilardi (went 11th to the Kings) or Martin Necas (12th to the Hurricanes) or defenseman Timothy Liljegren (17th to the Maple Leafs).

Not having seen any of these players, I can’t tell you who is better than who and who the Red Wings should have selected. Time will tell, as always.

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Don't expect Karl Alzner to sign with the Red Wings. (AP file photo).

Another Capitals defenseman targeted?

Q: As (general manager Ken) Holland tries to fix the defense, do you think there's any chance at all he can move enough salary to attract Karl Alzner? What UFA defensemen in 2018 or 2019 would be preferable to Alzner (or other defensemen available this year)? – Tim

A: I don't believe Alzner is on the Red Wings' radar or in their price range, given their limited cap space and desire to not sign any free agents to long-term deals.

The Red Wings are looking at adding a defenseman or two and Trevor Daley is their main target and most likely acquisition. Dan Girardi, Ron Hainsey, Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov are among other players on their list.

You can look up the potential future free-agent defensemen on this site, but it's premature to look that far ahead since many of them will sign with their current club.

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Mike Green led Red Wings defensemen in goals and point in 2016-17. (AP file photo).

Not a Green fan

Q: For the Wings to expose (Tomas) Nosek and keep Mike Green protected in the expansion draft makes me just sick! We have suffered through Green's lethargic play for two years already; why can't the Wings just cut (him) and replace him with someone cheap who hustles, a la the Predators? – Gene

A: Green struggled defensively, but that's what the Red Wings anticipated when they signed him in 2015. They needed a right-handed shooter who could provide offense from the back end and Green is one of their few scoring threats on the blue line. They were prepared to take the bad with the good.

Nosek being exposed had nothing to do with Green, whom the club protected over Ouellet and Ryan Sproul, among others.

Green will surely be dealt at the deadline if the Red Wings are out of the playoff picture.

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The Red Wings lost center Tomas Nosek to Vegas in the expansion draft. (AP file photo)

Advocating protecting youth over veterans

Q: From the get-go of this whole process I had a problem with the list I was seeing the Wings were going to protect (for the expansion draft). The Wings need to get blown up, and start over in my opinion. They should've protected every guy with a low salary, and forced Vegas to take a high-salary guy. Here is what I would've done for protection: Forwards: Mantha, (Frans) Neilson, Tatar, Athanasiou, (Riley) Sheahan, (Luke) Glendening, and Nosek; defense: Sproul, (Nick) Jenson and Ouellet; goaltender (Jared) Coreau. Try to trade Mike Green before the draft, or send a pick to Vegas not to take him. – Steve

A: Your list makes sense for a team going into a total rebuild (though Nyquist would be on it in either case). But the Red Wings don't want to do that. They are hoping to make the playoffs next season and didn't want to risk losing a veteran who is in better position to help them now.

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Johan Franzen has three years remaining on his contract with the Red Wings. (MLive/Mike Mollholland)

Unloading Franzen's contract possible?

Q: To gain some salary cap relief, could the Wings trade (Johan) Franzen's contract to Vegas? – Steve

A: The Red Wings will get cap relief by placing Franzen on long-term injured reserve again at the start of the season.

Regardless, Vegas would have no interest in acquiring his contract. Unlike the Arizona Coyotes, who needed Pavel Datsyuk’s $7.5 million cap hit in 2016-17 to reach the floor, the Golden Knights will have no difficulty reaching the $55.4 million floor once they finalize their 23-man roster.

Also, the Coyotes wanted Datsyuk because they didn’t have to pay him a dime, since he was returning to Russia. In Franzen’s case, a team acquiring him would have to pay $4 million in total salary over the next three seasons for someone who’s not going to play again.

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There are probably worse places to play than in Las Vegas (The Associated Press).

Who will finish lower?

Q. Who will have a better record next year: Detroit Red Wings or Vegas Golden Knights? – K. Jones

A: The Red Wings. But I wouldn't bet on it.