3 players the Detroit Red Wings absolutely shouldn't bring back next season

The Detroit Red Wings need to trade or buyout Justin Holl

The whole Justin Holl situation becomes a bit complicated for the Detroit Red Wings. General manager Steve Yzerman signed Holl last summer to a three-year deal that averages $3.4 million annually. In comparison, it's the same deal Yzerman signed with Jake Walman, too. Still, the veteran defenseman found himself watching from the press box for most of the second half of the season as a healthy scratch.

Holl, 32, was added last summer for his size, experience, and, perhaps most importantly, his right-handed shot. It's kind of ironic; years ago, when I was a kid, it seemed everyone was a right-handed shot; now, right-handers are at a premium across the league, and it seems as though the overwhelming majority of players are now left-handed shots.

Holl played 38 games last year recording five assists while maintaining a plus-8 rating over about 15 minutes of work per night on average. The veteran defender played 13 games from January until the end of the regular season recording one assist and averaged just a hair over 14 minutes per night and was a plus-3. He was utilized on Detroit's third pairing alongside steady Eddie, Olli Maatta.

Derek Lalonde seemed to trust Jeff Petry over Holl down the stretch. Petry plays a lot more physically, yet his glaring mistakes, particularly in March, were cringe-worthy, and his coach continued to roll him out there on Detroit's second pairing. I can't imagine a world where Holl and Petry return to the Red Wings next season. Detroit's on the hook for just $2.3 million next season for Petry and two more years of Holl. Suppose Detroit feels as though both players are of similar skill sets. In that case, moving the more expensive player with more term remaining makes the most sense, as Yzerman will need every penny he can find this summer as the organization closes in on the salary cap.

As the year grew old, with how badly Petry performed in March, I wondered if there had been a disconnect between Yzerman and Lalonde over Petry's usage and the lack thereof when it came to Holl. Nothing was said, just the fact that Yzerman signed Holl to the deal he did, only to see him become less than a part-time player. Strange.