Detroit — Most of the NHL’s wheeling and dealing, and shopping for free agents, was done in late June and early July, thanks to the entry draft and start of unrestricted free agency.

Teams reshaped their rosters and did most of their intended work.

But as the Red Wings and the rest of the NHL soak up their final rays of sunshine before training camp arrives next month, general managers continue to work.

After the initial flurry of free agency, general manager Steve Yzerman felt teams would continue to investigate opportunities around the league with some teams in a salary-cap crunch or looking to further change the look of their roster.

Moves have continued to trickle through around the NHL, with more expected leading to the start of training camp in mid-September.

“It’s just been my experience over the years that things kind of work themselves out,” Yzerman said last month during development camp. “Opportunities arise. You try to force it or chase it, (and) there’s too many years, too many dollars or you give up too much in a trade. Try to be diligent, maybe patient, just wait for the right player, the right opportunity, whether it is in a trade or in free agency, to add to our lineup and use our assets wisely if we can.

“We have plenty of cap space to do a lot of different things. The most important thing is to find players that fit. What we could use right now is a defenseman, a top four, and preferably a right shot but it doesn’t have to be a right shot because we can move these guys around a little bit.

“But that would be our biggest potential need.

“(Another) debate is do we sign another (forward) to have that 13th forward or leave it open and let all those guys earn that spot?”

There are a few unrestricted free agents still available who could fit the Wings’ needs. Some players who would intetest the Wings could be available in trade as well.

Here are 10 players to keep an eye on:

▶ Bryan Rust, Pittsburgh, right wing: The Pontiac native and Birmingham Brother Rice alum, scored a career-high 31 goals last season, after scoring 28 the year before — the two highest totals of his career.

Rust, 33, has three years left on his contract with a $5.125 million annual average value. With his championship pedigree and leadership qualities Rust would be a great fit with the Wings — not to mention his offensive ability.

It sure sounds as the Penguins will unload Rust at some point. But when? Doing it before the season sure wouldn’t send a message of competitiveness for Sidney Crosby, a huge fan of Rust’s. 

▶ Rickard Rakell, Pittsburgh, center/wing: Here’s another Penguins forward who general manager Kyle Dubas sounds like he wants to trade to accelerate the rebuild. Rakell, 32, scored a career-high 35 goals last season and has three years left at $5 million AAV.

When will Dubas look to trade Rakell? As with Rust, there’s going to be a lot of teams interested. Do the Penguins get maximum return before training camp, or at the trade deadline?

▶ Jason Robertson, Dallas, left wing: Dallas looks to be in a bit of a salary-cap crunch going forward, and Robertson, 26, has a $7.75 million cap hit. He can be an unrestricted free agent in 2027, and is likely to get north of $10 million per season, with two 40-goal seasons already on his resume.

The left wing would be a great fit alongside Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. But it’s difficult to imagine Stars GM Jim Nill not finding a way to retain Robertson for the long term, after deftly signing the core of his roster on lengthy deals. There would be plenty of teams interested in Robertson, notably his hometown Los Angeles Kings.

▶ Erik Karlsson, Pittsburgh, defenseman: The Wings have been linked to Karlsson, off and on, for a number of years. The former Norris Trophy winner has been a sublime offensive defenseman for a long time, but hasn’t been a great fit the last two seasons in Pittsburgh.

Karlsson, 35, would interest many teams, but the Penguins would need to retain some of his $11.5 million AAV the next two seasons. Pittsburgh would like to unload Karlsson to further their rebuilding.

Karlsson is a prolific talent, but the defensive warts are alarming. It’s debatable as to whether he’s exactly what the Wings need right now.

▶ Mason McTavish, Anaheim, center/wing: Would Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek actually trade McTavish, 22, a restricted free agent, who can play center or wing and is coming off a career-best 22-goal, 52-point season?

It’s doubtful, but Verbeek and Yzerman have done deals before, including the Wings acquiring goaltender John Gibson during the draft. These negotiations with McTavish haven’t been smooth at all, either.

There would be plenty of teams highly interested in McTavish, including many teams that might be willing to move NHL-ready personnel than the Wings might be.

▶ Jack Roslovic, center, unrestricted free agent: Roslovic is the best UFA available, coming off a 22-goal season in Carolina and at age 28, in the prime of his career. The flip side is, Roslovic isn’t a strong defensive player and other than scoring 22 goals twice he’s usually failed to reach the teens when it comes to goal-scoring. 

Roslovic can hold down your No. 2 center spot but many teams, including the Wings, might be figuring they can do better.

▶ Marco Rossi, Minnesota, center: The Wild and Rossi are going through a difficult contract negotiation, making this restricted free agent a prime trade target.

Rossi, 23, broke through for career highs in goals (24) assists (36) and points (60) and is the type of young center teams drool over. The price to acquire Rossi would be high, and it’s not a sure thing the Wings would be willing to give up what would likely be necessary to get him.

▶ Max Pacioretty, left wing, unrestricted free agent: He’s 36, and injuries limited Pacioretty to 37 games and five goals with Toronto last season.

Pacioretty is a UFA and wants to continue playing. Toronto might not be a fit anymore, so it’ll have to be elsewhere. Pacioretty knows the Detroit area from playing collegiately at Michigan. The Wings signing James van Riemsdyk likely precludes them from signing Pacioretty, but he’ll be an excellent veteran presence for some team.

▶ Matt Grzelcyk, defenseman, unrestricted free agent: The offensive defenseman had 40 points (one goal) in Pittsburgh but he’ll likely be playing for his third team in three seasons next season.

It’s a bit surprising Grzelcyk, 31, hasn’t yet been signed. But struggles defensively and lack of size (5-foot-10 180 pounds) have been more apparent in recent seasons, and the offensive contributions aren’t enough to overlook them.

The Wings would like the offense, but it’s not a perfect fit.

▶ Robby Fabbri, center/wing, unrestricted free agent: The Wings traded Fabbri to Anaheim last summer, but injuries limited Fabbri to 44 games and eight goals — after tying a career-high with 18 goals with the Wings the year before.

At 29, Fabbri is likely going to get a one-year deal for around $1 million. Fabbri’s versatility and popularity in the locker room would make a return possible, and he’d be a good depth forward. Fabbri had some good stretches of play with the Wings.

tkulfan@detroitnews.com

@tkulfan