Skip to main content

The Associated Press

The Detroit Red Wings sit atop the NHL overall standings coming out of the all-star break. So what does general manager Ken Holland do? Stick with a team that is dominant at home and suspect on the road or add to the mix come the trade deadline?

Holland spoke about his team prior to Tuesday's game in Calgary against the Flames and acknowledged he had some areas he was looking to bolster and $5-million in cap space to work with.

"Critics of the Red Wings say we're not big enough, not gritty enough. We'd like to add some depth, especially on defence," said Holland, noting there are a great many teams with playoff aspirations looking to do the same.

The one thing the Red Wings don't want to do is trade away their early-round draft picks. Holland said that was the pattern in the pre-lockout days when Detroit was spending wildly. "We gave up picks and brought in Brendan Shanahan, Mathieu Schneider, Chris Chelios, Robert Lang to chase Stanley Cups." Since 2005, the Red Wings have been more reluctant to part with their first- and second-round picks.

So are the Red Wings interested in trading for Nashville Predators' defenceman Ryan Suter, Edmonton Oilers' forward Ales Hemsky or New Jersey Devil Zach Parise? "We're looking to see who's out there," said Holland. But only to enhance what Detroit has, not remodel.

Interact with The Globe