ESPN NHL

The demand for excellence in Hockeytown is a year-round pursuit. And this season, the chase has taken on a new dimension.

The Detroit Red Wings were swept in the first round of the playoffs last season, and they want revenge. They could have four potential Hall-of-Famers playing their last NHL season (Steve Yzerman, Dominik Hasek, Brett Hull and Chris Chelios), and they want perfect closure. They have the perfect mix of talent and hunger, and they want the Stanley Cup back.

And who's going to deny them?

PROJECTED CONFERENCE FINISH. . . 2nd

STRENGTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . They led the NHL in goal scoring last season, so they obviously have tremendous offensive skill, but a summer of transition has given them quite possibly the best combination of defense and goaltending in the NHL. WEAKNESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Center depth and overall forward size. In allowing Sergei Fedorov (Anaheim) and Igor Larionov (New Jersey) to leave via free agency and in moving Steve Yzerman to the right wing, Detroit has to look at all sorts of new options in the pivot. BEST OFFSEASON MOVE . . . . . . . . . . . Choosing to keep goalie Dominik Hasek is a short-term gain and it does create some complications, so the real big move is the signing of Derian Hatcher away from Dallas. Hatcher gives the Wings an anchor around which to build and an insurance policy if Nicklas Lidstrom ever decides to go back to Sweden. WORST OFFSEASON MOVE . . . . . . . . . He struggled to find the right fit, so Sergei Fedorov's departure to Anaheim isn't so terrible. Still, he is one of the most talented players in hockey and the Red Wings will miss his versatility. PLAYER TO WATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominik Hasek. Even after winning six Vezina Trophies, Hasek still has his critics. He is unorthodox on the ice and flighty off of it, and that means you have to deal with him carefully as an organization. But all did in his one season in Detroit was win the Stanley Cup, so you have to speculate that he can still be pretty good after a year in retirement. FANTASY FIX. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Henrik Zetterberg: He may not be the most heralded of Detroit's young blood, but he's the one most capable of scoring 30 goals this season. Teammate Pavel Datsyuk is the playmaker, but Zetterberg led all rookies in goals last season, scoring 22 times in 79 games and playing a modest role on the power play. Fantasy owners hope he maintains that finishing touch even with an expected move to center. AT A GLANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2003-04: Schedule | Roster 2002-03: Schedule/Results | Stats

GM Ken Holland has done a great job of keeping his team on the edge of greatness for the past six seasons, but even he realizes the window is starting to close on some of his top players. That's one reason he took on Hasek's $8 million contract despite the fact he already had Curtis Joseph signed up for $8 million, as well.

Joseph obviously has to go, and that will be worked out soon enough. But the temporary discomfort it has caused it worth it to get Hasek. The six-time Vezina Trophy winner might be 38 years old and coming off a year of inactivity (unless you count gooning it up in the Czech beer leagues), but he is still one of the most mystifying forces in NHL history. Simply put, he has a knack for stopping the puck.

So when he decided to return to the NHL, the Red Wings had to jump -- and now that urgency is being felt throughout the organization. Still, it is not urgency without a plan. In addition to re-signing Hasek, the Red Wings signed free agent defenseman Derian Hatcher and should get a healthy Jiri Fischer back in full gear. That should give coach Dave Lewis the chance to slip out of the shadow of former coaching legend Scotty Bowman and put a little of his own personality into the Red Wings.

This team will try to win with excellent defense and decent offense, and that might be the first time in a decade or so that Detroit has tried to place the former before the latter.

As was mentioned, they led the NHL in goal scoring last season, so it's not like they have a problem with offense. Still, they struggled in the playoffs that will dog them until next April.

With blueliners such as Lidstrom, Chelios and Mathieu Schneider, the team will be able to move the puck. With snipers such as Brett Hull, Brendan Shanahan and Ray Whitney, they'll also be able to shoot it. However, the key to success will be finding the right balance and chemistry between the passers and the shooters.

Losing Sergei Fedorov (Anaheim) will hurt. The speedy center had 36 goals and 47 assists last season and those won't be easy to replace. The addition of Whitney and rookie Jiri Hudler should help, but their small stature brings uncertainty into the picture. The Wings now have seven key forwards who are 5-11 or shorter -- and many of them are light, as well. This team will have to continue to be able to work its offense coming out of the neutral zone, because the prospects for dump and chase don't look good.

The power play should again be among the league's best (76 goals), but the key is getting more chances. The Red Wings felt the refs jobbed them last season and their 319 opportunities (ranking 27th in the league) gives them a pretty good case. So given their history of offense and the distinct possibility that they should be spending more time with the man advantage, the prospects for improvement appears good.

What more could a coach ask for?

This team now has size, skill, experience and enough youth to keep the vultures from picking on the bones of Chris Chelios (41). Adding Hatcher is the perfect complement to the Wings' group of skilled blueliners. The 6-5, 240-pound hammer of a man can be paired with Nicklas Lidstrom or with Schneider or Mathieu Dandenault for a balanced pair, or he could take Jiri Fischer under his wing and the two could become one of the most intimidating defensive duo in the league. Don't underestimate the effect Hatcher could have on Fischer, 23. Hatcher's longtime Dallas partner Richard Matvichuk was able to develop his aggression in large part because Hatcher would protect the front of the net while Matvichuk ventured into the corners.

Lidstrom might be one of the top three players in the league because of his ability to do everything and eat up as many as 30 minutes a game. Chelios is starting to show some slippage, and Schneider might not be the defenseman he was two years ago, but both are still exceptional at two-way play. And the addition of Hatcher and a healthy Fischer should allow the entire defense to spread its minutes more evenly.

The penalty kill typically ranks in the top 10 and should probably get better with the addition of Hatcher. It will be interesting to see how much Lewis uses the young legs of Hudler, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk to help supplement the penalty kill.

So when is too much good goaltending a problem? How about never. Simply put, you can only play one goalie at a time and the Red Wings have some great choices.

The addition of Hasek was made because just about every person in the organization believes that he is better than Curtis Joseph. Fact is, if money was not an issue, you could probably find 25 teams who would be willing to switch out their No. 1 and take a chance on The Dominator. The man knows how to win and that's the bottom line.

The Joseph situation is one that will unfold slowly. First, the Red Wings are going to have to play him in a few games and allow any potential trade partners a good look to see if Joseph is 100 percent healthy. While that may mess with the team chemistry for a little bit, everyone in that room is professional enough to handle the situation.

Then, Holland simply has to decide how much of Joseph's contract he can eat. If Cujo is still around at Christmas, you can be sure the Red Wings will eat $7 million or so. But the only person really hurt in the deal is owner Mike Ilitch, and he'll gladly pay an extra $7 million if he can win another Cup.

Manny Legace isn't going anywhere. He'll serve as the backup when the Joseph situation is finally solved. Until then, he might have to take a seat and carry a clipboard like the NFL backups.

Mike Heika of the Dallas Morning News is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com.