Heading into this off-season the Wings are once again faced with the same big 
question they had last year. That question is will team captain Nicklas Lidstrom return for another season with the Wings?
Ansar Khan of Mlive.com writes that Lidstrom will take some time to decide his future in the NHL and with the Red Wings.
“I’m going to take my time and make a decision in the next little while, not sure how long it’ll take,” Lidstrom said after Thursday’s 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks in Game 7. “I’m going to take everything into account, whether it’s the series or the regular season or just the whole year.”
Khan continues saying that many within the organization believe that Lidstrom will be back for another year since he’s healthy, he can still play at a high level and the Wings are going to be competitive once again next season.
“He has a lot of hockey in still,” teammate Henrik Zetterberg said. “In my eyes, he’s the Norris Trophy winner this year. It will be great to see him next year.”
The Wings front office, including general manger Ken Holland appear to be unaware of Lidstrom’s plans.
“I have no idea (what he’ll do),” general manager Ken Holland said. “Obviously, we’re hoping (he comes back).”
It is expected that Lidstrom (41) will decide what he wants to do well before NHL free agency begins on July 1st.
It is my personal belief that Lidstrom will give it a go next year for reasons already stated (health, competitive team next year, still plays at a high level). The only way I could’ve seen Lidstrom walking away is if the Wings won the Stanley Cup this year or if he suffered an injury where he thought he couldn’t come back next season.
Ken Holland says the organization wants him back and they should. He is still an extremely good defenseman and arguably the best defenseman to ever play the game. You have to ask yourself though is there a limit to what the Wings will bring him back at and would he be willing to take less money for the overall benefit of the team?
Source: Mlive.com
