Holland has expressed an interest in Toronto Maple Leafs rearguard Cody Franson, and it's possible he could revisit those talks as early as today.
The Red Wings tried to bring in a big-name blueliner in the summer, but came up empty.
Holland pursued free agent Ryan Suter, but lost out to Minnesota, who paid a much higher price. He also kicked the tires on Phoenix Coyotes defenseman Keith Yandle and Calgary Flames rearguard Jay Bouwmeester, but a deal didn't present itself.
The Wings know they cannot replace someone like Nicklas Lidstrom, who retired, but Holland's priority was hoping to find someone to fill the void left by Brad Stuart, who is back in San Jose.
Winnipeg Jets defenseman Zach Bogosian has also been linked to Detroit, but he's still recovering from wrist surgery and isn't expected to be ready for action for at least another month.
It's unclear who else Holland will pursue, as several teams are in the market for a defenseman, including the Los Angeles Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild.
