from Jared Clinton of The Hockey News,

If Zetterberg is unfit to play in 2018-19, though, don’t expect a formal retirement announcement. Due to the nature of his contract — he signed a 12-year, $73-million pact in January 2009, the type of back-diving, cap-circumventing deal to which the NHL put an end — the next step for Zetterberg should he decide to hang up his skates would be a trip to the long-term injured reserve. By placing him on LTIR, the Red Wings wouldn’t be saddled with the full amount of his $6.08-million cap hit. And Zetterberg, for what it’s worth, wouldn’t exactly lose out on the high-paying years of his deal. After earning $7 million last season, his salary dips to $3.35 million in 2018-19 before paying out $1 million in each of the next two campaigns.

And while a Zetterberg-less Red Wings would mean the end of an era, the changing of the tides may be what’s best for the organization in the long haul. It’s no secret Detroit, after a long spell of success, are mired in a two-season drought and entrenched in a transitional period as the old guard passes the torch to a new wave. And in that sense, it was somewhat fitting that Holland copped to the continued uncertainty about Zetterberg and the potential for life without one of the franchise’s modern fixtures on the same day the team announced and celebrated the signing of Dylan Larkin to a five-year, $30.5-million pact....

And while Larkin’s role would potentially stand to increase the most on a Zetterberg-less Red Wings, with added on- and off-ice responsibility as arguably the new face of the franchise, he would be far from the only one who could benefit from the roster refresh that could truly be spurred on by Zetterberg’s injury-related departure. Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou, both of whom were handed two-year contracts this summer, would almost certainly be among those to see increased playing time if Detroit were to hand the reins over to their younger talent. Both have seemingly untapped offensive upside, and on a goal-starved team, having one or both breakout with greater ice time would give promise for a brighter future for the Red Wings.

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