Ken Holland just said that the Red Wings have assigned Ville Leino and Jonathan Ericsson to Grand Rapids.

Earlier in the day, the Red Wings sent Darren Helm to Grand Rapids and put Aaron Downey on waivers.

Darren McCarty (groin), Chris Chelios (leg) and Jimmy Howard (finger) will all start the season on injured reserve.

That leaves the Red Wings with an active roster of 22, including Derek Meech and Kyle Quincey. The latter's status is uncertain. Quincey was told not to practice today and there have been reports that he might be traded. But the Red Wings can enter the season with their roster the way it is currently set.

"We're talking (to other teams about trading Quincey)," said general manager Ken Hollad. "Right now, on the short term, we can keep our players. ... Ultimately at some point in time, once McCarty and Chris Chelios come off, we're going to have to make some moves. We're going to cap out. ... Do we do something here in the next day or two or do we wait?"

Detroit has 12 healthy forwards, eight healthy defensemen including Quincey and two healthy goalies.

In terms of salary cap, the current roster fits under the $56.7 million maximum. Unofficially, the Red Wings are at $56.199 million in salary with Quincey. Take Quincey out of the team would be at $55.674, giving the Wings $1.026 million of room.