The Red Wings are not ready to relinquish their perennial status as a Stanley Cup championship contender, despite consecutive second-round playoff losses to San Jose.

The team that is riding an amazing run of 20 straight playoff appearances intends to keep that streak intact while making another title run. The Wings believe they are still among the NHL's elite, so they opted to retool their roster, not overhaul it, and return mostly the same team.

"Any time you get to the final eight, you want to improve on that," coach Mike Babcock said. "The Western Conference is going to be tougher this year than it's ever been, so it's going to be another battle."

They had plenty of salary-cap space but elected not to overspend in what was a mediocre free-agent market. They bolstered their defense by adding lower-priced options Ian White and Mike Commodore. And, with nearly $6 million in cap space, they have the financial flexibility for midseason moves.

The most important transaction was getting 41-year-old Nicklas Lidstrom to put off retirement for at least another year. Coming off his seventh Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman, Lidstrom would have been irreplaceable, especially after his one-time partner, Brian Rafalski, unexpectedly retired in May due to health issues.

The Wings must return to the tight-checking, defensive hockey that has made them successful. That means limiting shots, scoring chances and goals and reducing turnovers after finishing 23rd in goals-against. Penalty-killing, which took a step back last season after improving late in 2009-10, also must improve. And goaltender Jimmy Howard must be more consistent after experiencing a rough two-month stretch midway through the season.

Offense is not a great concern. The Wings notched one fewer goal than league leader Vancouver and will continue to have plenty of scoring options. Several of their players have growth potential and/or room to improve on last season.

Babcock sought fresh voices with new ideas by hiring assistant coaches with no NHL experience in Jeff Blashill and Bill Peters to replace Paul MacLean, who became Ottawa's head coach, and Brad McCrimmon, who was hired as head coach of the Russian League's Lokomotiv Yaroslavl but died in the team's Sept. 7 plane crash that claimed 44 lives.

Ultimately, the Wings will go only as far as Lidstrom takes them. If he has another Norris-caliber season (he is one short of Bobby Orr's record eight), the Wings will be Cup contenders. If he shows signs of age, they will have difficulty getting past Vancouver and San Jose.

COACHING STAFF
Head coach -- Mike Babcock, 9th year overall, 7th with Red Wings (373-188-19-76). Assistants -- Jeff Blashill, Bill Peters.

LAST SEASON, REMEMBERED: 104 points (1st in Central), lost to San Jose in Western Conference semifinals.

THIS SEASON, PREDICTED: The Wings should win the division for the 10th time in 11 seasons and challenge for the top spot in the Western Conference. If they can tighten up defensively and cut down significantly on their goals against, they should content for the Stanley Cup again.

POSSIBLE CHANGES, PREDICTED: With more than $5 million in salary cap space, the Wings have the means to acquire a high-priced player by the trade deadline. Underachieving forwards Jiri Hudler and Valtteri Filppula could be trade bait if they falter.

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