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Andreas Lilja's Return To Red Wings Unlikely

Defenseman Andreas Lilja has been offered a deal to re-sign with the Red Wings, but it was not good enough for him to take it, according to his agent. In fact, Lilja's agent made it sound like the two parties have not been communicating very much at all, as Lilja is probably going to test the free agent market and try to sign with another team.

"I made them an offer a month ago and haven't heard back from them. I'm assuming they didn't like it," Holland said. "I'll touch base with them (on Wednesday). Maybe Lils will get a better deal (on the market). You can always get together after July 1."

Diamond doesn't see that happening.

"He enjoyed his time (in Detroit)," Diamond said. "It was a great situation. He had plenty of friends on the team.

"The organization treated him well, especially when he had the concussion. They gave him all the time he needed. It's a first-class organization. That's why it doesn't bother me they didn't call."

Detroit is in the market to add another defenseman for depth purposes, and speculation suggested that Lilja could fit that role. That doesn't seem like something Lilja would be interested in, though, so if Detroit does bring in another defender, he will likely come from the pool of free agents.