Cam Fowler

If the Anaheim Ducks put Cam Fowler on the trading block the Red Wings should pursue him.

(The Associated Press)

A top-pair defenseman would seem to be at the top of the Detroit Red Wings' off-season wish list.

The problem is there are few -- maybe none -- to be had in the free-agent market. It's a thin group that includes, potentially, Keith Yandle (Rangers), Brian Campbell (Florida), Alex Goligoski and Kris Russell (Dallas), Dan Hamhuis (Vancouver) and Luke Schenn (Los Angeles).

If the Red Wings are to fill this need, they'll have to swing a significant trade.

M-Live readers have some suggestions:

Q: Thoughts on a Detroit/Anaheim trade; Wings get (Cam) Fowler, give up (Tomas) Tatar or (Gustav) Nyquist. Ducks deep on D, need scoring; Wings need defense. - Dris83

A: Seems like a good match, for the reasons you state. After another disappointing playoff result, the Ducks, who fired coach Bruce Boudreau on Friday, probably will look to shake things up with a significant move. Offense was an issue for them, Fowler, 24, could be a trading chip, and they might be more inclined to deal with an Eastern Conference club.

Anaheim is a big team up front, so acquiring a smaller forward like Tatar or Nyquist probably wouldn't be an issue. The Red Wings would need to sweeten the pot to get Fowler, however. But the Red Wings' quandary is they struggled to score and would be moving a forward with offensive upside.

Q: After Winnipeg signed Dustin Byfuglien, I think they'll look to move Jacob Trouba or Tyler Myers. I don't think they can afford to keep all three long-term, especially when they also have (Tobias) Enstrom. Shouldn't the Wings be aggressively pursuing a deal with the Jets? - John

A: The Jets are another potential trading partner for the Red Wings. Trouba's name has been tossed around in trade rumors this season. The Rochester native is only 22 and will be a restricted free agent on July 1.

If Winnipeg is inclined to move one of Trouba or Myers, 26, it might be the latter, even though he was acquired just last season. In any event, those are two right-shooting defensemen I imagine the Red Wings would have interest in if available.

Q: I've read rumors that the Wings may look to trade Nyquist or Tatar. I read a rumor several years ago the Canucks were considering an Alex Edler trade for one of those names. Do you think there's a trade there between the Canucks and Wings? Why would the Wings want to trade away one or two of those players? Both are in their mid-20s and reliable goal scorers. They're great fits for the Wings system, and I'm not sure they'd get equal value. - Alex

A: The Red Wings expressed interest in Edler at the 2013 draft. He's big (6-3, 215) and has some offensive ability. He has three years remaining on his contract at a $5 million cap hit.

In order to get a good player, the Red Wings need to deal a good player, top prospect or high draft pick. One of Tatar or Nyquist would seem to be their most logical trading chip. But they're 25 and 26, respectively. I wouldn't deal either for a 30-year-old Edler, whose season ended in March due to a broken leg, and I don't think the Red Wings would do this.

Q: If this really is the end of the road for Pavel Datsyuk how might the team try to fill that hole? Could a free agent like David Backes be an option? -- Ryan

A: It will help tremendously if they can move Datsyuk's $7.5 million cap hit to a team that needs to reach the cap floor.

Backes certainly is a player they should pursue if he hits the market - a big, physical forward who can provide offense and play center or wing. But I think the Blues will find a way to re-sign their captain. They might not be able to bring back right wing Troy Brouwer, another good-sized forward with scoring ability who should interest the Red Wings.

Q: Since we have not had top pick in decades, we lack highly skilled players. Most quality players will be signed by their teams, so the Red Wings need to think outside the box. Two of the best college hockey players from this year are available as free agents (Jimmy Vesey and Drake Caggiula). Wouldn't it be great if they went after these players aggressively? - Ralph

A: The Red Wings have signed college free agents in recent years - Danny DeKeyser, Robbie Russo and Dan Renouf - and have been in on others, like Justin Schultz and Mike Reilly, so it wouldn't be out of the box thinking.

I'm told the Red Wings pursued the undrafted Caggiula (North Dakota) but were informed they didn't make the final cut, which reportedly includes Philadelphia, Edmonton, Ottawa, Vancouver, Chicago and Buffalo.

Nashville owns Vesey's rights until Aug. 15, so teams aren't allowed to speak to him until then. Toronto, who hired Vesey's father as a scout and drafted his brother, and Boston reportedly are the front-runners for this Harvard product, but I'm sure the Red Wings will make a pitch.

Q: What happens if a team like Toronto gives (Petr) Mrazek a $4-plus million offer sheet for four years? I don't think the Wings could match that and the Leafs could easily afford that. (Mike) Babcock likes Petr and I have a feeling this will happen in the off-season. -- Freddie

A: I doubt that will happen. Offer sheets are rare; only eight have been tendered since 1998 and a team declined to match only once (Anaheim let Dustin Penner go to Edmonton in 2007). If it happens, the Red Wings would match it; they can handle $4 million-plus for Mrazek.

Q: What are Jeff Blashill's strengths and weaknesses? Did his shuffling of players from line to line reduce cohesion and create confusion? (Helm and Tatar expressed thoughts on this.) - Kurt

A: Players cited his communication skills as one of his strengths, though Tomas Jurco might disagree, as well as his proven track record (having won at every previous job) and familiarity with the young players on the roster and in the system. His weaknesses probably include over-reliance on veterans. Few, if any players, improved from the previous season. Coaching certainly plays a role in that.

I don't know what to make of the frequent line shuffling. You can say they need to mix things up when the team isn't performing or you can say they need to stick with certain combinations to build cohesion, even during extended slides. I can understand Tatar's desire to play regularly on Datsyuk's line and how the shuffling affected his production.

Thanks for participating. If you have a Red Wings-related question, email me at akhan1@mlive.com.

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