Report: Holmstrom to Retire

Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom is set to retire, according to reports by Chuck Pleiness of the Macomb Daily and Ansar Khan of MLive.

The news is not entirely unexpected, as the Red Wings are facing a glut of forwards entering the 2013 season, to the point that the NHL-ready Gustav Nyquist may stay with the Grand Rapids Griffins simply because he’s the only one who has that option.

Holmstrom did not play in any of the NHLPA-organized charity games during the lockout, nor did he join the Red Wings’ alumni team. He reportedly told the team of his decision to retire months ago but did not want to make an announcement during the lockout.

Holmstrom, regarded as one of the best net-front presences in league history, has 243 goals and 287 assists in 1,026 career games.