(MLive.com periodically will profile a potential Detroit Red Wings trade target until the April 3 trading deadline.)

Drew Stafford

Team: Buffalo

Position: Right wing

Height/Weight: 6-2/214

Age: 27

Shoots: Right

2012-13 stats: 30 games, four goals, 11 assists, 15 points, minus-10 rating, 15 penalty minutes, 74 shots on goal, averaging 16:26 in ice time.

Career stats: 427 games, 118 goals, 139 assists, 257 points, plus-23 rating, 243 penalty minutes.

Contract: After this season, two years remaining at a salary-cap hit of $4 million.

Strengths: He has a good combination of skills and size and a nice shot. He scored 31 goals in just 62 games in 2010-11 and picked up 20 goals last season.

Weaknesses: He has been inconsistent the past six seasons, following up good years with mediocre seasons and is struggling badly this year.



Why the Red Wings might be interested in him: Goals have been hard to come by for the Red Wings, whose forward depth has been eroded by injuries to Darren Helm, Todd Bertuzzi and Mikael Samuelsson, of which, only the latter is certain to return this season. They could use some scoring punch from the wing, not to mention another right-handed shooter. Stafford isn't doing much this season, but he has scored 20 or more goals three times.

What it might take to get him: Hard to predict due to his inconsistency and high salary. Perhaps a young roster player and prospect or draft pick. Note that Nashville gave Buffalo a first-round pick last year for Paul Gaustad, who was in the final year of his contract, unlike Stafford.

With the salary cap decreasing to $64.3 million (from $70.2 million) next season and Stafford having a $4 million cap hit, should the Red Wings pursue him? They could use a goal-scoring winger, but is his tendency to disappear, coupled with his contract, a concern?

Would the Red Wings be better off allotting that $4 million salary slot to Valtteri Filppula, who is seeking more than $5 million a season in his next deal?

There also is a chance that Buffalo might not trade with Detroit, since they'll be division rivals next season, following realignment.

