Red Wings' Lidstrom and Holmstrom may be a package deal

DETROIT -- "Are they a pair?" Red Wings coach Mike Babcock wondered as he segued from talking about Nicklas Lidstrom's future to that of Tomas Holmstrom. It has seemed that way for years with Lidstrom and Holmstrom, with their driving to work together and delightful sniping at each other over stealing goals. The hard fact after the Red Wings' elimination in the first round of the playoffs is that change will happen -- and Holmstrom may be part of it. Speaking Tuesday, the day the Wings cleaned out their lockers at Joe Louis Arena, Holmstrom sounded like a man who suspected his 39-year-old body might not stand up to another summer of training followed by the long regular season. "I love the game, I would love to play three, four more years," Holmstrom said. "It's so much fun to come to the rink and everything. It's just if the body can take it one more year or two more years. There's lots of wear and tear on the body. Mentally, the last couple of years, you've got to go through the soreness, aches and pain, and it can be pretty tough during the regular season." Holmstrom, who scored 10 of his 11 goals this season on the power play, also wondered what his playing time would be. Babcock noted minutes later that Holmstrom would be what he was this season: A fourth liner and power-play specialist. "Mentally, he's an elite, elite competitor, he's a great teammate, and he makes guys around him better," Babcock said. Physically, Holmstrom was never an elite skater. He made his career on standing in front of the net, and he's better at it than anyone else. But it's difficult for an older player to sit for long stretches and then be expected to go out and make things happen on cold legs. Counting Gustav Nyquist, the Wings already have 10 forwards under contract for next year, and they will re-sign Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader. Probably the only way Holmstrom comes back is if Lidstrom, who the Wings very much want to re-sign, says he'd like his longtime teammate and close friend to come back, too. Holmstrom is closer to Lidstrom than anyone else in the locker room, the two hang out socially and carpool. When NBC filmed "NHL 36: Nicklas Lidstrom" earlier this season, Holmstrom was really the only teammate to appear in the show. The two have a long-running friendly feud over how many of Lidstrom's would-be goals have actually been tipped in by Holmstrom. Lidstrom, 42 in two days, said he doesn't expect to make a decision on his future any time soon, maybe not before mid-June. If he opts to retire, it would almost certainly spell the end of the pair.