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The Detroit Red Wings brought a talented, experienced roster into the 1999-2000 season, hoping to recapture the Stanley Cup, which the Wings won twice in the late '90s. But Detroit couldn't muster enough to get out of the highly competitive West, and fans are left wondering if sweeping changes are needed.

ESPN.com takes a Closer Look at the Red Wings' season and future prospects.

Season Review: Good but not good enough

	Yzerman

Once again, the Red Wings fell short of a return to Cup glory. Once again, the Avs dealt them the decisive blow.

Ouch and ouch.

All season, the Wings looked solid, and the acquisition of Pat Verbeek added even more toughness on the offensive end. Brendan Shanahan scored 40 goals, and Steve Yzerman, with 79 points and a plus-29, continued to be one of the best all-around players in the game. Even the enigmatic Sergei Fedorov (27-36-62) was solid. The resurgence of free-agent signee Steve Duchesne softened the blow of Uwe Krupp never playing.

But in the playoffs, after blowing the Kings away in a four-game sweep, the Wings bowed -- or perhaps wilted is a better term -- to the Avs, who were inspired by Ray Bourque's Cup quest. Yzerman didn't score one goal in the playoffs, and concerns about the team's age might have been confirmed by the way certain players performed.

The biggest concern after Yzerman was Igor Larionov. The Russian veteran, although certainly more of a playmaker, only scored twice the entire second half and followed that up with just three points in nine playoff games. See "running out of gas" in the dictionary of sports clichés.

The Open Market: Should roster be shaken up?

	FREE AGENCY
	Key unsigned free agents: Kris Draper, Slava Kozlov, Yan Golubovsky Signings/offseason acquisitions: Chris Osgood, Larry Murphy, Brent Gilchrist, Marc Rodgers

Larionov is gone, heading to Florida to play with Pavel Bure in the Eastern Conference. Will he be missed? Will he be replaced? At his best, Larionov could control play -- despite diminished skating skills -- with his playmaking abilities. But at his worst -- which was much of the latter part of the season -- he looked old, bordering on invisible.

There isn't a whole lot on the open market in terms of scoring, especially in the middle. But when Detroit won two Cups in a row, role players made the difference. In recent years, those players have either been injured or performed poorly. If Darren McCarty, Brent Gilchrist, Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby stay healthy for a whole season, Detroit is a different team.

Whether it's good or bad news, the core of the team is under contract, which means the Wings at least will begin next season with a roster virtually identical to last year. There are some older players making a lot of money -- Chris Chelios for example -- and they cannot be traded, at least right now. Slava Kozlov and Draper are the only regulars of note not under contract after Chris Osgood avoided arbitration by signing a three-year deal.

How to improve: Wait and see what happens
GM Ken Holland doesn't have a lot of leeway at the moment. He has a high payroll with several expensive veterans. If the core of older players remains healthy, Detroit can be better than last season because all of the scorers and character players will be playing at the same time. Whether it's enough to get passsed St. Louis or Colorado is the big unknown.

If management doesn't think this team can get it done, look for an absolute firesale at the trade deadline next season. That is the one time of the year when veterans can yield major talent in a trade. Some shrewd maneuvers could put Detroit on a much better long-term course but eliminate any real chance for a strong playoff run in 2000-01.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.