Detroit Red Wings officially exploring trading these two defenseman: Per NHL insider

NHL Insider David Pagnotta believes that the Red Wings will have to rebalance their roster as the rebuild progresses.

The team is experiencing a bottleneck in the lineup with an overabundance of defensemen and prospects waiting in the wings.

That could mean a move is in the future for the Red Wings, as they are looking to move on from veterans Travis Hamonic and Erik Gustafsson soon.

With both being regular scratches in the lineup and the promotion of Axel Sandin-Pellikka, the team will have to explore its options.

With prospects making the jump into the NHL roster, the team will need to find a way to trim the lineup and recoup assets from depth talent such as Gustafsson and Hamonic.

The team will want to watch their prospects get proper development time, and for a player like Axel Sandin-Pellikka, who is a fixture on the bottom pairing, it's a tough situation for Gustafsson, who was a reliable defenseman last season.

Travis Hamonic hitting the trade block is eyebrow-raising for the team due to the fact that Yzerman has already allocated $1 million in salary to acquire the defenseman in the offseason.

Though a deal would be a great way to recapture assets and draft capital in return for the depth defenseman. Hamonic played a total of 59 games with the Senators last season, scoring 7 points (1-6), playing 17 minutes of time on ice per night.

Though his play is declining, and he has been subject to criticism for his declining production, being on ice for three goals against to start the year has given Yzerman ammo to find a new buyer for Hamonic.

Gustafsson, who resides in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins, has played a total of 515 games in the NHL and scored 240 points.

He is still a serviceable defenseman in the league and could provide leadership to rebuilding organizations like the San Jose Sharks.