Insider shares his thoughts on big defensive trade for Red Wings.

One possible option for Detroit in the offseason.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 7 years ago
Insider shares his thoughts on big defensive trade for Red Wings.
Keystone Press.

It's no secret, one of Ken Holland's primary tasks as general manager this offseason is to add to the Detroit Red Wings blue line, and one of the team's top insiders was asked about a potential trade option for the Wings.

Another well known secret is the fact that the St. Louis Blues want to trade Kevin Shattenkirk who will be in the final year of his contract next season, and the offensively gifted defenseman would be a terrific fit for Detroit. The move would come at a steep price, and the Detroit Free Press' Ansar Khan believes that the Wings would need to give up one of their talented young forwards.

At minimum, they'd have to include Gustav Nyquist or Tomas Tatar, I would imagine. But it would probably cost more. Who knows if Jensen will make it to the NHL, but he could probably be claimed on waivers in the fall, so I don't believe he has much trade value.

Khan believes that the Wings would need a guarantee that Shattenkirk would re-sign with the club, or perhaps work some form of a sign and trade, in order to make this deal happen, but admits that Shattenkirk is exactly the kind of player Detroit could use.

If you're going to deal a valuable asset to get Shattenkirk you're going to want to make sure you have him locked up to a long-term deal. He'll be entering his final season at a $4.25 cap hit and eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2017.

A highly skilled, right-shooting puck-mover, Shattenkirk is the type of player the Red Wings need.

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