from Helene St.James of the Detroit Free Press,
The Detroit Red Wings have 14 NHL regulars signed to next season’s squad, leaving room to grow.
A handful of the spots on the 23-man roster will be absorbed by the restricted free agents who need contracts: Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Andreas Athanasiou and Martin Frk. That would bring the number of forwards signed for next season to 11.
The Wings have seven returnees on defense (counting Luke Witkowski) but there are possible changes coming.
First, what will happen in the June draft? The NHL draft lottery is April 28, and if the Wings’ 8.5 percent chance of winning the right to draft first overall lands them the top spot, Rasmus Dahlin will reshape the defense.
Second, there is the possibility Dennis Cholowski, the team’s first-round pick from 2016, will show he’s ready for the NHL.
There’s likely to be at least one free agency signing, as the Wings need a goaltender to share the net with starter Jimmy Howard.
Here is a breakdown of the roster situation.
Jimmy Howard
Age: 34.
Status: Signed through 2018-19 at an annual salary cap hit of $5.3 million. He has played very well two seasons running. Will be trying to show he’s worthy of one- or two-year extension.
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