Kevin Shattenkirk

The Red Wings figure to pursue defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk if the Blues look to trade him in the off-season.

(AP file photo)

The Detroit Red Wings have several needs. A franchise defenseman - or at least a top-pair D-man - would top the list.

But those types of players are difficult to acquire. The free-agent market for top-tier defensemen is thin. Some top-pair defensemen could be available by trade, but the cost is sure to be high.

Regardless, the Red Wings must find a way to improve on the blue line.

MLive readers have many questions about the defense this week:

Q: I would argue that Detroit will never be a true Cup contender until they acquire at least one very impactful defensemen. Each of the (final) four playoff teams has at least one (sometimes two or three) defensemen that are light years ahead of any defenseman on our roster and can play in all situations. In your (previous) Q&A you suggest that the Wings don't have the assets (or the willingness to part with assets) to acquire a true upgrade on defense via the trade market. If they can't be had via free agency and the Wings can't acquire them via trade, how on earth does (general manager Ken) Holland intend to acquire one or two of these defensemen? - Justin

A: I said I don't think they'd be willing to part with what it would take to land someone like Dougie Hamilton (who I have no reason to believe will be traded) or Jacob Trouba because they're not trading Dylan Larkin. That is who I believe every team that is looking to move a top defenseman would seek.

There are other options that might not cost as much, which we'll delve into below.

Q: Is it realistic to expect the Wings defense to look materially different next season? Even if Holland finds a way to resist the urge to re-sign (Kyle) Quincey we will still ice six usual suspects plus a kid from Grand Rapids. It seems to me that Holland needs to make a trade just to give our back end a different look. - Justin

A: They need to make a move or two to give the back end a different look. I don't believe they will re-sign Quincey. The only other player from their top seven I could see not returning would be Brendan Smith, if they opt to trade him. They must keep Xavier Ouellet and Ryan Sproul on the NHL roster or trade them; they're not likely to risk losing them on waivers.

Q: What's your take on the defense? I feel we could shed some significant salary if we brought up Sproul, Ouellet and (Nick) Jensen followed by dumping Big E (Jonathan Ericsson) and Smith. Why aren't these guys up yet? - JM

A: They weren't up because the club didn't believe they were ready or were better options than what they had.

Despite Ericsson's struggles, they like having a big body on defense, even though he doesn't play physical. I think it would be difficult to move his contract (four years remaining at a $4.25 million cap hit and a modified no-trade clause).

They have a decision to make on Smith before next season's trading deadline. He's entering the final year of his contract and can become an unrestricted free agent in 2017. They'll either lock him up to a long-term deal or move him. They've had other UFAs walk (Jiri Hudler, Valtteri Filppula) because they kept them for the playoff push, but I don't think they'll risk losing Smith for nothing.

Q: We all know the Wings need help on defense but we also have to get tougher up front and put up more points. What do you think the chances are the Wings trade for a defenseman like Kevin Shattenkirk (of St. Louis) or pick up a tough, gritty goal-scorer at a reasonable cap hit in a guy like Jamie McGinn? - Josh

A: Shattenkirk, by many accounts, will be moved. The question is whether the Red Wings can acquire him without moving Larkin, who is untouchable.

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.

McGinn is a free-agent forward option, maybe a Plan B or Plan C type. I think players like Andrew Ladd and Troy Brouwer are at the top of their wish list. If the Blues are unable to sign David Backes, he would certainly shoot to the top.

Q: Here's a trade option Ken Holland should propose to the Blues: Offer Tomas Tatar or Gustav Nyquist (preferably Tatar), Nick Jensen and a high draft pick (second round) for Shattenkirk. Your thoughts? - Aaron

A: At minimum, they'd have to include Nyquist or 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.

Q: Considering that the Ducks have a plethora of younger, higher upside defensemen and the Wings have don't have much in the way of tradeable assets, do you think the Wings would be able to put together a decent package around Nyquist or Tatar, a good pick and a good prospect to acquire (Sami) Vatanen, (Cam) Fowler, (Shea) Theodore or (Hampus) Lindholm and what would a deal look like? Which one do you think is a better fit on the team? I personally would like to get Vatanen. - Dennis

A: The Ducks, after years of playoff failures, are likely to be aggressive in making moves. They have a surplus of defensemen and could be a potential trading partner with the Red Wings.

I think out of that group Vatanen is the most likely to be moved. He's small (5-10, 176) but like Shattenkirk (who's 5-11, 207) Vatanen is mobile, puts up points and shoots right. I couldn't begin to speculate on what it would take to land him, but probably not as much as Shattenkirk.

Q: Do you think Vatanen is really our answer? I personally don't think he's worth giving up too much for. I don't think we are a Vatanen away from a Cup run. I'm also not a fan of giving up (Anthony) Mantha or (Evgeny) Svechnikov for a Shattenkirk, as we need some size and reach to win battles.

A: It's not about acquiring one player for a Cup run, it's about making changes to gradually improve. I, too, would hesitate to part with Mantha because of his size and goal-scoring potential.

Q: In the last 15 years the Wings have developed exactly one true top-pairing defensemen (Niklas Kronwall). It is probably a stretch to call our remaining home-grown defensemen even middle-pairing guys, (although I think that Alexey Marchenko may have the potential to develop into one). How do you explain the inability of the Wings to draft and develop better defensemen? Is it amateur scouting? Development coaching? Prospect mismanagement? Failure to draft enough defensemen? We cannot really use draft position as an excuse as there have been plenty of quality defensemen drafted in this period outside of the top 15 picks. I don't consider (Danny DeKeyser) to be developed by the Wings as he got to the organization NHL ready. - Justin

A: I think draft position is a legitimate reason. The best-rated defensemen are generally off the board by the time the Red Wings select. Sure, there have been good defensemen taken with lower picks, but some luck is required, too.

The Red Wings thought they had some potential later-round gems in Jensen (150th in 2009), Ouellet (48th in 2011), Sproul (55th in 2011) and Marchenko (205th in 2011). It hasn't worked out that way, though two or three of them have the potential to be top-four defensemen.

Q: Do you think that the way Gustav Nyquist played in the World Championship the Red Wings would be more likely to keep him rather than trade him and risk him developing somewhere else? - Richard

A: Nyquist played well, tying for the goal-scoring lead (seven) among all players at the Worlds. But I don't think that has any bearing on whether or not he is traded. The tournament didn't have the strongest competition. He scored all of his goals against Latvia, Denmark, Kazakhstan, Norway and Switzerland and had no goals in games vs. the Czech Republic, Russia and Canada.

Q: Is it just me or did Nyquist just prove that the Red Wings will want to keep him, after the great goal scoring he had in the World Championship? The Red Wings should keep him unless they want what happened to Toronto (Phil Kessel trade) to happen to them. -- Geek Freak

A: They're not going to trade Nyquist just for the sake of trading him, but his age and offensive ability make him one of the players teams would be seeking in a move. His 17-goal season might affect his trade value, as well as his contract ($4.75 million cap hit for the next three seasons).

Q: All the chatter I hear is about trading Nyquist or Tatar. They struggled this year, but so did the entire team for the most part. I think the coach (Jeff Blashill) is the reason for this, yet I don't hear or read about him being an issue. I hope they keep Gus and Tats and keep Blashill on a short leash. If they struggle this season he's got to go! -- John

A: Coaching certainly is a factor in players' regression, even though Tatar and Nyquist flourished under Blashill in Grand Rapids. The struggling power play contributed to Nyquist's dip in production (from 14 PPGs and 24 power-play points to seven PPGs and 12 power-play points) and he averaged 1:29 less in ice time. But he was put in positions to succeed. He played much of the season on Henrik Zetterberg's line and played mostly on the top power-play unit.

Q: Just wondering if there's any word on the assistant coach search? Have the Wings interviewed Todd Richards yet? -- Josh

A: They were granted permission from Columbus to interview Richards but I don't know if that interview has happened. They interviewed John Torchetti for the position but I've heard Richards is their top choice.

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

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