Detroit Red Wings: 5 Players They Must Re-Sign for Next Season

The Detroit Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland will be in an interesting position this offseason.

A position which many GMs around the league would love to be in—trying to get the premiere defenseman of the last two decades to stick around for another season.

NIcklas Lidstrom, winner of seven Norris Trophies, gave the Detroit Red Wings organization a tremendous boost by deciding to return for his 20th NHL season last off-season.

But other long time Detroit Red Wings—specifically Kris Draper, Chris Osgood, and Brian Rafalski—retired last offseason, leaving Detroit with multiple holes to fill.

Ken Holland did a nice job filling Rafalski's void, signing Ian White as a right-handed shooting defenseman to complement Lidstrom on the first line.

Backup Ty Conklin hasn't done such a good job this season, but has won his last two outings after losing five in a row.

But with a few more players contracts scheduled to come off the books this offseason, who should Holland re-sign?

1. Nick Lidstrom (in Order of Most Necessary Signings)

The captain, Nick Lidstrom, is the one that makes this team go on the back end.

The now 20-year NHL veteran is the current active NHL games leader, and he is also the most reliable offensive defenseman over the past two decades, notching 1,133 points (and counting) in over 1,500 games.

Last season, Lidstrom debated retiring, but ultimately chose to return for another season.

But will he do the same this upcoming offseason?

Red Wings GM Ken Holland hopes so, as he has been quoted as saying that he doesn't "even want to think about the Detroit Red Wings without Lidstrom."

Well, that's good that Holland wants him back (as does the fanbase), but Lidstrom must still choose to come back.

He is financially secure for the rest of his life, (per CapGeek.com) making over $40 million since the start of the 2006-07 season.

But it won't be the money that brings back Lidstrom for another season.

It will be about how well he thinks the team can do next season, and whether he can help them win another Stanley Cup.

If I were Holland, I'd start lobbying sooner rather than later.

2. Jiri Hudler

Jiri Hudler has seen a re-emergence in his statistics after a down year last year in which he finished with only 37 points.

This year, Hudler already has 30 points in 48 games.

He is benefiting from the offensive prowess of Henrik Zetterberg, as well as up-and-coming Valterri Filppula.

Fans were very hard on Hudler last year as he took the previous year off to go make more money in the KHL.

To nobody's surprise, Hudler found last season likely tougher than the KHL in terms of the physicality of the NHL compared to the KHL.

This past offseason, Hudler went and trained with UFC trainer Jonathan Chambers in an attempt to regain some of his physicality and change up his style of game a little bit.

That workout likely made the difference between another sub-par season and the season that he is currently having.

Despite only having 13 goals, Hudler is shooting out the lights, with a 19.7 shooting percentage. He needs to shoot more however, as he only has 67 shots on goal and could have more goals if he tried to get two or three shots a game instead of just over one shot per game.

He should be re-signed this offseason, but that will depend on how he finishes the season.

I rank Hudler as No. 2 on this list because Detroit fans constantly complain about how Detroit doesn't have a bona fide scorer. Well good news, I found him, and Hudler seems to have found his game.

Now if he would only shoot the darn puck more...

3. Darren Helm

If you can't tell from the video, Darren Helm is one of the most talented young players in the NHL.

Speaking of which, happy 25th birthday to him today.

But Helm is one player that Detroit cannot afford to lose.

Helm logs 2:27 per game in a penalty killing role, and provides a solid option as a checking (63 hits) third line center.

Helm's offensive numbers this season have been nothing to gawk at: five goals and eight assists.

But that should make his cap hit number next season (which currently sits at $912,500 per CapGeek.com) a more friendly number for Detroit's team cap hit.

Helm is also a restricted free agent this offseason, which should bring relief to Red Wings fans who have developed a passion for the young forward.

Hopefully Ken Holland locks up Helm for a longer term contract, maybe something in the three- to five-year range, as I would like to see him remain a Red Wing for the foreseeable future.

4. Todd Bertuzzi

Todd Bertuzzi is quietly having another good season for the Red Wings.

Bertuzzi started off slowly with a combined six points in October and November, but he has since exploded with 11 points in December and already has seven points here in January.

Bertuzzi has two shootout goals and an overtime winner among his totals this season.

For his cap hit of (per CapGeek.com) $1.9375 million, Bertuzzi is worth the money. His 44-point average over the past few seasons are a reliable source of points off of the first line, and when combined with Johan Franzen, Bertuzzi's physical presence should make him a priority for Ken Holland.

Bertuzzi may not put up the 97 points that he put up in 2002-03 with the Canucks, but Holland should at least offer Bertuzzi a new contract at the conclusion of this season.

5. Justin Abdelkader

Justin Abdelkader has taken some big strides this season.

Despite putting up only 12 points in 48 games, Abdelkader has become a premier fore-checker for Mike Babcock's Red Wings.

The big left winger has 89 hits, and for a bigger winger, Abdelkader moves exceptionally well.

Abdelkader's current cap hit sits around $787,500 (per CapGeek.com), a number that will likely increase a little bit through his RFA status this off-season.

Although Abdelkader may never blossom into a 30-40 point producer, he could end up taking over a Tomas Holmstrom like role if he can learn to tip the puck like Holmstrom.

Abdelkader has also dropped the gloves twice this season for Detroit, a team that leads the league in fewest fighting majors.

But Abdelkader's physicality, combined with his size, can lead him to do great things from a power forward position, even if he cannot put up points on the scoreboard.

Just get to the net, and good things happen.

Honorable Mention: Brad Stuart

I would be very remiss if I did not include Brad Stuart on this list.

In terms of shot-blocking, Stuart is second on the Red Wings with 78 (Kronwall has 110).

But Stuart is also the top hitter on Detroit with 107 hits.

So it would only make sense to bring the leading hitter and second-place shot blocker on Detroit back after this season.

But Brad Stuart's family is in California, and he flies home to see them several times a season.

This seems like an easy fix, as Stuart signed a four-year deal worth $15 million back in the 2007-08 offseason, so it seemingly wouldn't be a big deal to move a family to the Detroit area.

But according to the "Stanley Cup Journal No. 10, July 8, 2008," Stuart has a step-daughter via his wife, Melissa, and her previous marriage.

As with many dissolved marriages, there are sometimes strenuous legal custody debates over children. I won't go as far as to speculating as to why the family hasn't joined Stuart in Detroit so he can continue his career with the Red Wings.

But I will say that Stuart has one of two options in front of him:

Wait until his step-daughter turns 18, (which wouldn't be that long from now as his step-daughter will be a senior in high school this year) and then move his family to Detroit to continue playing for the Red Wings.

If he is unable or unwilling to do that, Detroit should trade his rights to a team in California before the start of free agency, as Stuart's NTC (per CapGeek.com) ended following the 2009-10 season.

As much as I'd like to see Stuart back next season, unless he can find a way to move his family out to Detroit, I cannot see him being re-signed after this contract is done.

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