from Dan Rosen of NHL.com,

Holland said the reason Lidstrom was asked to be a scout was because the Wings wanted to keep him in the organization with the hope that he would learn the ropes of the front office and still be a marketing asset to the team. Detroit has done the same in recent years with players like Steve Yzerman, Jiri Fischer, Kris Draper,Kirk Maltby and Chris Chelios.

The difference is those former Red Wings decided to retire and remain in or around the Detroit area, where they could be near the day-to-day operations of the team and always have direct contact with Holland and owners Mike and Marian Ilitch.

Since Lidstrom is comfortable with his decision to move back to Sweden, Holland said the organization is trying to find the positives in having such a well-known employee overseas.

The Red Wings want Lidstrom to attend tournaments with (Hakan) Andersson, to meet with draft picks, and to return to Detroit a few times a year to sit in on organizational depth-chart meetings and to do some promotional events for the team.

"With the stature he has in the industry and the little tricks of the trade that he knows, eventually when he's got a comfort level in being around us and dealing with us no longer as the player-captain, but instead is one of us, he'll start to understand the development, the drafting, the patience, the path that it takes to get a player from draft day to helping you win in the NHL," Holland said. "This is an opportunity for him to figure it all out.

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