“It’s part of the process,” Lalonde said. “Expectations have changed because we were flirting with getting there — 91 points. We just want a little bit more from everybody. It’s all about a good start.”

Lalonde said that for the Red Wings to take a step forward this season, every player must commit to improving their defensive play.

“We improved last year,” Lalonde said. “A lot of that was because we were able to score a few goals, but I think the numbers speak for themselves, honestly. We were a top-10 team in goals scored, but we were bottom-10 in goals conceded, so we’d love to improve on those goals conceded.”

Detroit added depth to its blue line this offseason by signing Erik Gustafsson to a two-year free agent contract and William Lagesson to a one-year free agent contract on July 1. And promising Albert Johansson, who signed a one-year, two-way deal on June 19, is expected to compete for a spot on the Red Wings’ roster at Training Camp next month.

“I think we were very fortunate last year to stay healthy on the back end, but we’re going to need that depth,” Lalonde said. “All eight (defensemen) are very talented. I’m very excited about Simon (Edvinsson). The way he played toward the end of the year last year was exciting.”

Those yet to sign include restricted free agents Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider, but Lalonde said he is optimistic deals will be done for the Red Wings’ core duo.

“I’ve met with (Raymond and Seider) two or three times over the summer and we’re not even talking about contracts,” Lalonde said. “That’s between Steve (Yzerman) and the agents. The message is the same with us, with the other guys — we want to move forward, keep moving, keep building. We want a little bit more than we did last year. Obviously, those two guys are a big part of that.

“I’m not worried. I’ve had some experience with this in the past with RFAs. It’s all part of the process.”