Veteran defenseman set to be bought out of NHL contract by the Detroit Red Wing

Starting 48 hours after the Stanley Cup Playoffs end, the league buyout window will open, and NHL teams will have until June 30th to decide whether to exercise that right.

In Detroit, four defensemen were recently deemed safe from being traded or bought out, including Moritz Seider and Simon Edvinsson, two of the team's top prospects on the blue line.

However, President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Steve Yzerman could decide to part ways with Justin Holl, and buying out the final year of his contract is a potential avenue.

The Red Wings will enter the offseason with plenty of cap space. While most of that money is expected to go toward the acquisition of talented players, it is believed some of it could be used to buy out Holl's contract.

With Detroit's needs on the blue line, it's hard to say if the team would be better with or without Holl. It depends on how Yzerman plans to replace him.

This season, the defenseman scored eight points and had a -7 goal differential in 73 games, averaging nearly 15 minutes of ice time per game.

Holl has one season left on his three-year, $10.2 million contract, and spent the start of the season in the AHL after clearing waivers.

Buying him out would clear $2.2 million in the Red Wings' cap space, which could be useful if Yzerman decides to pursue a big-picture player in free agency or on the trade market.

With rumors of many offer sheets this summer, it'll also be interesting to see if the Red Wings decide to use cap space to steal a restricted free agent from another team. A few players who would be helpful in Detroit will be available, such as Marco Rossi, JJ Peterka, or Noah Dobson.