Ken Holland & Red Wings Begin Critical Offseason

April 7, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Red Wings forward Valteri Flippula (51) skates with the puck up ice as Chicago Blackhawks defender Brandon Bollig attempts to knock it away during the third period at Joe Louis Arena. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Today was the day the Red Wings cleaned out their lockers, take pictures and make their summer plans. However, Ken Holland and company will not get much of a break as they start making hard decisions in the NHL’s shortened off-season.

The Red Wings offseason decisions start with their unrestricted free agents

• Valteri Flippula-Forward –  struggled this year with injuries and finding his scoring touch amassing only 17 point in 41 games. 2011-2012 was his best year in which he tallied 66 points. Fans frustrations with Flippula intensified this season and it is speculated he will command upwards of 5 million dollars on this upcoming contract. If his price tag is too high look for the Red Wings to move on.
• Drew Miller – Forward – Had a decent season and was productive in the playoffs. He didn’t do anything to earn his walking papers but he might be a player the Red Wings let go in favor of another option.
• Ian White – Defense – Missed quiet a bit of the shortened 2013 season because of injuries. In 2013 he was a plus defenseman registering a +5 in 23 games this season. He will be worth resigning if the price is right.
• Damien Brunner – Forward – Showed how much he can contribute to the team during the playoffs. He had 9 points in 14 playoff games  including 5 goals. His 12 goals in 44 regular season games means that he has 20 goal potential over an 82 game season. He must be a high priority for the Red Wings this off-season.
• Daniel Cleary – Forward – played his way into Red Wings fans heart during the 2008 Stanley cup run. Cleary is clearly on the back-end of his career but still plays with the heart of a rookie. If the price is right he would be a great resigning for a youthful team in need of leadership.

It has been speculated by some in the sports media that the Red Wings could use the “amnesty” clause to buy-out Johan Franzen’s contract. Ken Holland put any talk of that to rest today during comments to the media on Friday saying  “He played 41 games, he had 14 goals. If you times it by two, that’s 28 goals. How many players in the league score more than 25 goals?” Holland also said “I don’t know where you find 30-goal scorers, There’s no hockey store.”

With room under the cap the Wings can pursue a couple of key free agents in the off-season. With the impending move to the Eastern Conference the Red Wings might try to get bigger and faster pursuing free agents like Chicago’s Bryan Bickel or a goal scorer like Anaheim’s Corey Perry. Either way the off-season promises to be fast paced and eventful with Traverse City just around the corner.

What do you think? What is the Red Wings biggest off-season priority?