from Ted Kulfan of the Detroit News,

Age, contract issues, retirement and just the natural movement of personnel from the minor leagues and into the NHL, it will amount to new faces in the Wings’ lineup....

With that in mind, and knowing young defensemen such as Dennis Cholowski and Filip Hronek already have earned spots in the Wings’ lineup this season, patience is key.

Defenseman Joe Hicketts, who began the season on the Wings’ roster after a rash of injuries put four Wing regulars on the sidelines, is willing to be patient.

“We didn’t get the results (in the standings), but every game, myself and the other young guys, we improved every game,” Hicketts said. “That’s the organization is looking for, trying to get some younger pieces in there, but you still need that mix of older guys as well.”...

Jensen, 28, will either be dealt before the Feb. 25 trade deadline, or be re-signed as a low-cost, dependable, older defensemen on an increasingly younger unit.

In the summer of 2020, veterans Trevor Daley, Jonathan Ericsson and Mike Green all are unrestricted free agents. The chances of all three returning to the Wings is extremely minimal, and even two might be optimistic thinking.

So, there are openings on the horizon. And the promising play of Hicketts, Vili Saarijarvi and Libor Sulak in Grand Rapids, and recent draft picks Jared McIsaac and Gustav Lindstrom in juniors, and Sweden, respectively, offer plenty of optimism for the future.

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