The Detroit Red Wings performed well above expectations this season, but unfortunately it still didn't amount to much beyond a short-lived playoff run and continued questions about head coach Mike Babcock's future in the Motor City.
Red Wings GM Ken Holland likened the stretch run of the season, after Detroit spent much of February and early March flirting with the best record in the Eastern Conference, to a car that was leaking oil and doing its best not to wobble off the road as the wheels seemingly came free of their own volition.
While Babcock's future remains very much in the air, Holland can't simply wait around for his Stanley Cup-winning coach to make up his mind and must begin retooling the Wings now.
Holland has been adamant that the team will rely on internal upgrades and continued development from many of their younger pieces - "We're not a thousand miles away, but we're not quite good enough," Holland said, per Ansar Khan of MLive.com - but further consideration will likely be given to additions from outside the organization.
With just $56.75 million tied up in 18 players for 2015-16, per a separate report from Khan, the Wings and Holland can target just about any player or players they so choose.
Khan floats names like the Washingon Capitals Mike Green and Nashville Predators Cody Franson as potential free agent targets - both are right-shooting defenseman with big-time offensive upside and the ability to make a strong first pass.
The Wings spent much of the lead up to the NHL trade deadline negotiating with the Toronto Maple Leafs for Dion Phaneuf and could revisit those talks, though as Khan notes, Phaneuf's contract - six years remaining at a $7 million per season cap hit - is likely prohibitive.
In the end, Holland said that he'll shop around once free agency begins, but doesn't expect to find a franchise-changer on July 1.
"The days of anybody going on the free-agent market and buying this guy and that guy, those players aren't available," Holland said. "If we're going to get better we need the push from the younger players in our organization.
"We're going to explore July 1, but the players on July 1 are support players, they're not franchise players, they're not cornerstone players, they're nice pieces."
The continued development of Tomas Tatar, Gustav Nyquist, Danny DeKeyser and Petr Mrazek will likely be the focus for Holland this offseason.
Mrazek in particular looks as though he could become a legitimate NHL star after stealing the starting spot from Jimmy Howard this season.
Don't expect a trade of Howard anytime soon, though.
While the 31-year-old Howard has four years remaining on his deal at an annual cap hit of $5.3 million and would seem an ideal candidate to be dealt in the offseason, per Khan, the Wings fully expect Howard to return and compete with Mrazek for the starting spot next season.
