Detroit Red Wings mailbag: Here are Steve Yzerman’s options with roster decisions

General manager Steve Yzerman solved one roster crunch with a bold move, but Jakub Vrana’s expendability may only be the beginning.

That is the subject of this Detroit Red Wings mailbag, with reader Michael S. writing to ask, “What are the Wings going to do when the others come back?”

In 10 days or so, the expectation is Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina will both be ready to play; the target is sometime during the Jan. 16-19 trip that has the Wings visiting the Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and Vegas Golden Knights.

That means creating room on the 23-man roster.

NET PAIN:Wings ‘haven’t given up’ on Alex Nedeljkovic

DOWN IN GRAND RAPIDS:Vrana trying to get ‘his game in order’

The Wings currently have three goaltenders on their roster (Ville Husso, Magnus Hellberg and Alex Nedeljkovic), with Nedeljkovic counting against it even as he is in the AHL on a conditioning stint in an effort to get him out of a slump. He posted a 1.51 goals-against average and .952 save percentage in his first two appearances with the Grand Rapids Griffins, an encouraging sign. When he returns, the Wings could opt to waive Hellberg, clearing a spot that way.

Another option is to waive veteran forward Adam Erne. He is in the last year of his contract, and does not appear to fit into the team’s future. There are several young forwards who are waiver-exempt, but Joe Veleno has proven his value as a fourth-line center and is getting looks on the power play. Jonatan Berggren, a skilled rookie who regularly has his fingerprints on offensive chances, began the season in the minors but he got the OK to move his belongings from Grand Rapids to the Detroit metro area, so he’s not going back. Elmer Söderblom’s play has not been as consistent, but the team clearly sees the 6-foot-8 winger as part of the future.

If the Wings are fully healthy when Bertuzzi and Zadina become available, the decision also falls on coach Derek Lalonde regarding the lineup. Zadina was a healthy scratch the first two games of the season, and he had no points and a minus-3 rating in nine games before being sidelined by a leg injury. He has had multiple opportunities over the past couple seasons to play in the top six and hasn’t shown he belongs there. He’s not a grinder, nor a penalty killer. Even if Zadina is sent to the minors on a conditioning stint, he would still need to be activated on the 23-man roster for that to happen. With 61 points and a minus-49 rating in 169 career NHL games, his trade value, if any, is limited.

Bertuzzi plays with skill and grit, and will slide right back into the lineup — but for how long? Yzerman faces a decision here, too, because Bertuzzi is eligible for unrestricted free agency this summer. Two hand injuries have limited him to nine games this season (and a mere four points on a goal and three assists) so maybe the sides agree on a one-year extension before the March 3 trade deadline. If not, Yzerman isn’t likely to risk losing Bertuzzi this summer for nothing.

CONTRACT TALK:Why pending FAs Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi remain unsigned

Waiving Vrana, and, when he cleared, assigning him to the minors trimmed the top-line winger from the 23-man roster, which enabled the Wings to activate Robby Fabbri. The Wings can keep Vrana in the minors (his nameplate has been removed, for the time being anyway, from his old stall in the locker room at Little Caesars Arena) but it’s not a great use of such a talented resource. Vrana has a year left on a contract with a $5.25 million salary cap hit, and the Wings may have to retain as much as 50% of the contract if they can find a trade partner.

Being willing to lose Vrana for nothing, less than two weeks after Vrana was reinstated following two months in the players assistance program, was a resolute decision by Yzerman. Now the Wings need to figure out if Nedeljkovic is ready to resume being Husso’s backup, or consider waiving another veteran skater. While that may necessitate a tough decision, the upside is how well it reflects on some of the younger players, that they are forcing the Wings to look at veterans as another roster crunch appears on the horizon.

Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames.

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