During the Stanley Cup Finals, Detroit defenceman Andreas Lilja expressed fears for his career after suffering a concussion Feb. 28 that ended his season.

Those fears appear to be well-founded as Lilja is still suffering headaches.

"We don't know where Andreas Lilja is going to be at when camp opens," Wings general manager Ken Holland said.

"(Athletic trainer) Piet Van Zant spoke to him (Wednesday) and he still has symptoms. I'm really not sure about him."

Holland said he's thought about possibly trading a defenceman to free up more cap space, but he said with Lilja's uncertain future he'd hesitate to do that now.

With Lilja sidelined, Detroit could achieve the same goal by placing him on the long-term injured reserve list and have his salary come off the cap. Last season, Lilja earned $1.25 million."