According to Detroit Red Wings GM Ken Holland, it’s Tomas Holmstrom’s call on whether he’ll return for his 16th NHL campaign.
“I haven’t talked to Tomas much,” Holland told MLive.com. “We had talked about him taking all of June and July to see what he wants to do. I talked to him briefly in July. He’s going to take the summer, obviously.
“It takes a lot of determination for him to play. Homer is taking all the time.”
Speaking of determination, Holland seems determined not to rush the process and is allowing the 39-year-old to contemplate for however long he needs.
That’s probably because there’s much to contemplate. Detroit added three forwards to the mix this offseason -- Jordin Tootoo, Mikael Samuelsson, Damien Brunner -- and figures to have former University of Maine standout Gustav Nyquist in a full-time capacity next season.
“If he decides to play,” Holland explained, “we have to have a discussion between Homer and I and probably Mike Babcock to see where he fits in.”
While the influx of new players and the retirement of friend and fellow Swede Nicklas Lidstrom might push Holmstrom to walk away, there’s some thought he’d like to go out in a better fashion than last season. Holmstrom posted his lowest point total since 1997-98 and went 28 straight games without scoring a goal.
