Anthony Mantha 3-15-16

The Red Wings' logjam of forwards could force Anthony Mantha to start the season in Grand Rapids.

(AP File Photo)

The Detroit Red Wings signed several players Friday during the first day of free agency, garnering mixed reviews from fans and media.

They have a surplus of forwards after acquiring Frans Nielsen, Thomas Vanek and Steve Ott and re-upping with Darren Helm. They will continue seeking a trade for a top-pair -- or least a top-three -- defenseman.

The moves and how they will affect their roster was a main topic among M-Live readers:

Q: Should we really be offering six-year contracts to 32-year-old players (Nielsen)? Does Ken Holland realize that hockey players don't get better with age? I understand that "kids aren't the answer" and that "it's a man's league," but this is ridiculous. - Justin

A: That's the price you pay for a UFA of that caliber. Nielsen's effectiveness might diminish those last couple of seasons but he wasn't going to come here for less term and the Red Wings desperately needed a top-two center.

The Bruins signed David Backes, who's also 32, for five years at $30 million. Backes has more hard miles on him and is a greater risk to wear down the last couple of years of his contract than Nielsen, who plays more of a finesse game.

Q: I am a bit underwhelmed at the signings after (Steven) Stamkos decided to stay with the Bolts. I am even more baffled at why Mr. Holland didn't shore up their blue line? Sure, trading for a top-two D-man would probably have come at a steep price, but you had solid, young UFAs available like Justin Schultz and Jason Demers. Does Mr. Holland have something still in the works to salvage this disappointing FA year, or can we expect to see a new GM to go along with the new arena this time next year? - Ericson

A: The Red Wings didn't plan on addressing their need for a puck-moving defenseman through free agency due to a weak crop. They are better off not having committed long-term to Demers and Schultz is nothing more than a third-pair D-man. It's better they're keeping their options open for a potential trade for someone like Cam Fowler, Kevin Shattenkirk or Tyson Barrie.

Q: Overall, I like what Ken Holland did on the opening day of free agency. Nielsen should be a solid second-line center, Vanek is a veteran scorer with motivation to find his game again and Ott should bring some toughness. The Darren Helm signing confuses me though. It seems like too many years and too much money for an oft-injured third-liner that never seems to score as much expected. The biggest issue is that the team is now overstocked with forwards, likely pushing (Andreas) Athanasiou and (Anthony) Mantha back to the AHL. How do you see the team's lineup looking with these new pieces? Is there a chance we could see the logjam of forwards fixed with a trade for a defenseman like Fowler? - Ryan

A: They are positioned to make a trade for a defenseman. We'll see if it happens in the off-season or during the season.

Ideally, they would have liked to ink Helm for four years at around $3.3 million per season, but you overpay more often than not for a UFA. More than anything else, they value Helm's speed and felt it was important to retain him. Time will tell.

I think Mantha will start the season in Grand Rapids, unless he has a tremendous preseason and they either have a couple of injuries up front or trade a couple of forwards.

If they don't make a trade and are healthy going into the season, Athanasiou also is a candidate to start in GR because he's except from waivers. And I'm sure much the fan base would revolt if that happens.

Athanasiou and Mantha aren't going to be around as spare forwards, they need to be in the lineup every game if they're here.

Q: How do you grade signing two "past-their-prime" forwards instead of giving more minutes to assets that Holland did not want to give up? Will Wings end up waiving future talent that gets claimed? Having a large veteran presence in the locker room has not been of any importance in the playoffs for the last five years. All of Holland's good moves were pre-cap. Why is he not under more pressure from the press and management? The Wings have not had a No. 1 D since Nick (Lidstrom), have not had a No. 2 for even longer. Most importantly, is there any difference to the contracts given Helm, (Riley) Sheahan, or Abby (both money and term) than overpaying (Jonathan) Ericsson and (Niklas) Kronwall? If AA is going to get less than 10 minutes a game, why not trade him? Why is (Jeff) Blashill not under a larger barrage of questions for use of players and minutes? - Bill

A: Blashill was asked repeatedly about Athanasiou's lack of minutes and scratching Brendan Smith but declined to provide specific reasons, which is his prerogative.

Vanek had 41 points in 2015-16 with Minnesota. For a $6.5 million cap hit, that doesn't cut it, especially with his defensive deficiencies. If he produces 41 points for $2.6 million, the Red Wings will be delighted.

I'm skeptical how effective Ott can be as agitator at age 33, coming of an injury-plagued season. But it's one year for $800,000, all of which can be buried in the AHL if he doesn't pan out.

Q: The trade market for decent D-men seems thin, and the asking price is really high. If Kenny Holland makes a run at a D-Man, what is he willing to give up, and what caliber D-man could he get in return? With all the D-men who are out of options this year, do you include any of these guys (Ryan Sproul?) as part of a trade package? -- SaskatoonWingNut.

A: I imagine the centerpiece for a higher-end puck-moving defenseman like Fowler would be either Tomas Tatar or Gustav Nyquist. The Red Wings likely would need to include a high draft pick and/or a decent prospect. Xavier Ouellet and Sproul are out of options and I'm sure the club would include one of them as part of a package if the other team was interested.

Q: What players would most likely be tradable for higher-end assets and picks? Would guys like Tatar, Mantha or Nyquist bring anything worth having? - Mike

A: I don't think the Red Wings will be trading anyone for picks (unless you're talking about a fringe player who would be exposed to waivers). As stated above, Nyquist and Tatar would be their biggest trading chips.

I would be highly reluctant to move Mantha because of his size and goal-scoring potential. Time will tell if he pans out, but I believe they should be patient with him.

Q: Dylan Larkin will be (exempt), but guys like Athanasiou and Mantha (need to be protected) for the (expansion) draft. I would expect Mantha to get a good, long look at some point this year so they can decide what they want to do with him. If a player has a NTC or NMC, he has to be protected and automatically counts towards the protected list -- does that mean Jimmy Howard (NTC) automatically gets protected and that Petr Mrazek cannot be protected? - Rob

A: Only players with no-movement clauses must be protected, not the less restrictive no-trade clause. Nielsen is the only Red Wing with a NMC. Howard has a modified NTC, so he will be available for the expansion draft while Mrazek will be protected.

Mantha absolutely will be protected for the expansion draft, regardless of what kind of season he has. If they decide he doesn't fit into their future plans, they would trade him rather than lose him for nothing to Las Vegas.

Q: Is Jimmy Howard going anywhere this year? I'm not totally sold that Mrazek is going to be "the guy' yet. He had a couple of brutal outings last year that make me wonder if Jimmy might be a good, albeit expensive, insurance policy for the upcoming season. -- SaskatoonWingNut.

A: They tried to move Howard's contract (three years at a $5.3 million cap hit) but found no takers, so he'll be back. I agree he's a good, albeit expensive, insurance policy in case Mrazek is injured or experiences another prolonged slump. The schedule is a little more compressed due to the World Cup and each team have a "bye week," and the Red Wings don't want Mrazek playing 70 games.

Q: What lines and positions do you see the younger players like Larkin, Mantha and Athanasiou playing on? What do you think they're going to produce next season? How hard will they try so they can be protected by the Red Wings from Las Vegas? -- Geek Freak

A: I wouldn't be overly concerned about what lines they start on since it's sure to change often through the course of the season.

They are planning - or at least contemplating - moving Larkin to center on the top line, with Zetterberg on the wing (likely with Justin Abdelkader). I could see Athanasiou playing on the third line with Sheahan. If Mantha isn't in the top nine he'll be in Grand Rapids.

Larkin is exempt from the expansion draft because he will have only two years of pro experience after 2016-17. Athanasiou and Mantha are not exempt and are certain to be protected.

Q: Does the current roster allow the Wings to reduce (Henrik) Zetterberg and Kronwall's playing time? Who replaces them in key situations? - Kurt

A: Both need their ice time reduced, especially earlier in the season so they can be fresher later in the year (Zetterberg has struggled post-All Star break the past two seasons). They have enough forwards to trim his minutes.

They're not as deep on defense (so far, they've essentially replaced Kyle Quincey with Ouellet), but a trade is possible. In any event, Kronwall's team-leading 22 minutes per game from 2015-16 should be cut by a couple of minutes.

Their usage in key situations won't change - both will remain on the power play and Kronwall will also kill penalties, I would think.

Q: I see Nielsen wore an "A" with the Islanders. Do you see them giving him (Pavel) Datsyuk's "A" in Detroit? -- Mordecai.

A: I doubt it. I think Abdelkader will get it.

Thanks for participating. If you have a Red Wings-related question, email me at akhan1@mlive.com.

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