Detroit Red Wings Fans Shouldn't Be in a Rush to See Prospects into NHL Just Yet

The Detroit Red Wings' 2014-15 NHL season has some shades of last season mixed into it in terms of injuries providing opportunities for younger players to show what they bring to the table in hopes of cementing themselves as full-time NHL players.

Petr Mrazek, Xavier Ouellet and Teemu Pulkkinen have all had opportunities to get NHL experience with injuries to Jimmy Howard, Jonas Gustavsson, Jakub Kindl and Johan Franzen, respectfully.

With a rash of injuries in the 2013-14 season, the Red Wings benefited greatly from the fully stocked prospect cupboards at general manger Ken Holland's disposal. Gustav Nyquist and Tomas Tatar both had their NHL coming-out parties with 28 and 19 goals, respectively, to lead the team in the lamp-lighting department, while Riley Sheahan quietly contributed 24 points in 42 games as a call-up. 

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This season has seen a much younger and healthier Detroit Red Wings squad, with Nyquist, Tatar and Sheahan having full-time roles on the Red Wings. But underlying injuries to key players still remain.

However, this season is vastly different to where the Red Wings were as a team last season at the same time. Detroit is not relying on its prospects to boost the team into the NHL postseason, as was the case last season when the Wings slid into the playoffs as the second wild-card team in the Eastern Conference with just 93 points.

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This season at the All-Star break, the Wings have a chance to do much more than that, due to the fact that Detroit is one of the best teams in the NHL at the break with 63 points in 47 games.

If Holland truly likes his team and won't "overpay" at the trade deadline, as reported by ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun, then he needs to give the players who are healthy and signed to NHL contracts the edge in roster spots this season.

Pulkkinen was returned to the AHL so he could play in the AHL All-Star Game after he scored his first NHL goal against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

And barring any extensions on the time that will be missed by goalies Gustavsson and Howard, Mrazek and Ouellet should be rejoining Pulkkinen when the Red Wings get healthy as a team.

Bottom line, despite the shift in Holland's philosophy that fans have seen over the past year of playing younger prospects over veteran forwards on a regular basis, don't be surprised to see Detroit stick with the players signed to one-way contracts over the remainder of the season.

The Wings seem to be fazing out players in waves, with Todd Bertuzzi, Daniel Alfredsson and, to some extent, Dan Cleary losing time on the ice or roster spots in general to younger players. Yet it shouldn't come as a shock to not see that fazing-out process happen again any time before Pavel Datsyuk decides to go back to Russia (if he does go that route) following the end of his three-year extension after the 2016-17 season. 

The Wings have a good team and are a skilled squad up front. On defense, there are a few question marks, but all of the NHL question marks (for the time being) are better suited to play NHL minutes than the prospects in Grand Rapids.

If the Red Wings go the way of a trade, according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, head coach Mike Babcock has an interest in getting a right-handed defenseman, "but it has to be someone of quality," the coach told James.

Expect "quality" to be the theme for the rest of the season as the Red Wings push toward a possible division championship and a playoff spot.