Ansar Khan of Mlive answers his fan mail,

Q: How does (general manager) Ken Holland plan to address the logjam on defense which is affecting the prospect pipeline’s ability to develop? I cringe when I keep reading they want to bring back Mike Green, because I fear it is going to hinder development of guys like Hicketts, Hronek, (Vili) Saarijarvi, Cholowski, Sulak, etc., when they already have six guys on NHL contracts for next season and other vets in Grand Rapids taking playing time. Will bringing back Green be contingent on moving out a couple of players from last season’s defense corps?

A: Green’s status is not linked to anything that happens with anyone else. If Green accepts a two-year deal, I think they’ll bring him back because he’s the only consistent offensive threat on a blue line that doesn’t provide much offense. He shoots right, which they lack, and his absence would create a big void on a power play that has struggled.

But if he is seeking three years, they’re not likely to re-sign him. Either way, the logjam on D isn’t going to be alleviated much this off-season.

Q: Could the Red Wings package some of their draft picks and attach it to a player on a long-term contract in order to get cap space? They have a lot of players tied up to long-term deals, so maybe they could trade a high draft pick with a player on a long-term deal, so they can have flexibility to pursue free agents?

A: I don’t see this happening.

First off, cap space isn’t a concern. They have 14 players signed for about $53 million (including $1.66 million for Stephen Weiss’ buyout). The cap is projected to be between $78 million and $82 million. The Red Wings would have about $27 million to sign restricted free-agent forwards Athanasiou, Dylan Larkin, Anthony Mantha, Tyler Bertuzzi, Martin Frk, a backup goaltender, possibly Green and maybe another forward. Add to that mix a defenseman from Grand Rapids and possibly 2017 top pick Michael Rasmussen....

more on the second questions and additional Q & A too...