Even though he will be moving back to Sweden now that he's officially hung up his skates, retired Red Wings defender Nicklas Lidstrom is still expected to remain with Detroit's organization in some capacity according to general manager Ken Holland.
Lidstrom played in 1594 games on the ice for the Wings, and spent the better part of 20 seasons dealing with the day-to-day grind of being a cog in a well-oiled professional franchise. He knows the game about as well as anyone out there, and has spent more time in the Red Wings' organization than some of the most tenured scouts. Even if the crafty defenseman is nothing more than an occasional overseas ambassador to a foreign prospect or two, this is an obvious win-win for Holland and company.
While it's hard to believe that Lidstrom will be a significant part of anything that goes on right away since he's just now settling down, it's conceivable that he could get an itch at some point and want to try his hand in more of a front office role. For that reason alone it's great to have him in a position where that can actually be possible down the road. Watching a legend like Steve Yzerman leave town was a bitter pill for Detroit fans to swallow, so it was important to keep a Hall of Famer like Lidstrom as close as possible to the team heading into the future.
For more Red Wings coverage, be sure to visit Winging It In Motown. For more on the NHL, check out SB Nation's NHL hub.