"As the Red Wings continue their courtship ritual with Mike Modano, in the hope of bolstering scoring and their ability to roll four lines, two other needs are on hold: a veteran defenseman and a tough guy who can defend their skilled and aging roster. The plan is that when Modano makes his decision, other dominoes will fall. General manager Ken Holland will know how much money he will have to retain Justin Abdelkader and Darren Helm. He also will know whether there is about $500,000 to $1 million remaining for a veteran defenseman. But it is unlikely the salary cap would then allow for a player who can throw a few punches. "It's a moving topic," Holland said of the remaining personnel decisions. "We've got a lot of options. But we're not quite as deep on defense as we'd like to be, with experience. Saying that, it is the nature of the cap. Some teams are a little bit deeper on defense than we are. But if we do get Mike Modano, they won't have the offense we have."" http://www.detnews.com/article/2010...attern-while-waiting-for-Mike-Modano-s-answer
