Jacob Trouba-Justin Abdelkader

The Red Wings' Justin Abdelkader and Winnipeg defenseman Jacob Trouba scuffled in a game on Feb. 14, 2015.

(Melanie Maxwell/MLive.com)

A good start by the Detroit Red Wings (6-2-0) lessens the urgency to upgrade the defense. But they still could use that top-three puck-moving defenseman they've been seeking for some time.

The problem continues to be a lack of such players available and the high cost for the few that are on the block, like Jacob Trouba of the Winnipeg Jets, who is unsigned and has requested a trade.

Trouba trade talk dominates today's mailbag of Red Wings questions from MLive readers.

Q: I'd like to hear your thoughts on Jacob Trouba, what the Jets could get for him, and what the chances of him coming to Detroit are. He has a ton going for him, and the Wings have a ton of need for a player like him. - Kirk

A: Trouba is just what this team needs - a big, young, mobile right-shooting defenseman.

Problem is, the Jets, by all accounts, in return are seeking a left-shooting defenseman of comparable age (22) and ability. If the Red Wings had such a player, they wouldn't need to pursue Trouba.

I don't think the Red Wings have a good chance of landing him. The Bruins and Rangers are other clubs rumored to be interested.

Trouba is a restricted free agent. If he's not signed by Dec. 1 he can't play in the NHL this season.

Q: The Wings are playing great, but are they in the Jacob Trouba market? Would the Wings trade Gus Nyquist and Brendan Smith and maybe a second-round pick for Trouba? Things will get crowded when (Niklas) Kronwall and (Tomas) Jurco return and (Anthony) Mantha is ready to play. Is (Xavier) Ouellet the odd-man out? - John

A: I don't believe a package centered around Nyquist could get them Trouba because I think they Jets want a defenseman. Smith's trade value is limited because he's unrestricted after the season. I doubt the Jets would be interested.

I'll address the roster question below.

Q: Trouba seems to be out of the Red Wings' price range, but what about (Cam) Fowler? He's the kind of puck-mover that would boost this D. - Chris

A: There was a belief that when the Ducks signed Hampus Lindholm, which they did Thursday, they would be forced to move Fowler for cap concerns. But now it appears they will have the cap space to keep Fowler, at least this season, and reports indicate he won't be traded anytime soon.

If the Ducks struggle to score, they might reconsider.

The Red Wings like Fowler but don't view him as a top-pair defenseman, so I don't think they'd pay a premium for him. Nyquist and Tomas Tatar are the Red Wings' most viable trading chips, among roster players, but they would be sacrificing offense to upgrade their defense.

I don't think the Red Wings will trade Mantha, the big, promising winger who's off to a good start with the Grand Rapids Griffins (six goals in five games). Plus, the Red Wings are close to the cap ($571,806 under per CapFriendly.com), so they must shed an equal amount of salary in any trade.

Q: What happens to (Ryan) Sproul when Kronwall and Jurco come back? - Lenny

A: Sproul will remain on the roster, no danger of being waived. The club has told him to get his own place in the area.

Hard to predict when Kronwall is ready. He's been skating off and on and there's no telling when the knee will feel good enough to play.

When he's cleared, the Red Wings won't need to make any moves because they have the roster spot and he's been on the cap while on short-term injured reserve. They'll carry 13 forwards and eight defensemen.

Who sits out on D? I think it'll be an ongoing competition between Sproul, Marchenko and Ouellet.

The problem arises when Jurco is ready, following off-season back surgery. He's projected to return in mid-November. If Kronwall is back when Jurco is ready and they have no other injuries, they'll need to trim a player. Andreas Athanasiou is waiver-exempt, but I think he's playing too well to be sent down. They might be forced to waive Ouellet.

Q: There are a lot of questions on the back end. Let's assume a situation where either Kronwall's knee doesn't hold up and he can't play and/or (Jonathan) Ericsson's hip impingement gets worse and he struggles to play if at all. Since both are very real possibilities, what can the Wings do and how can they fill those spots? - Josh

A: Unless they can swing a trade -I think the odds are against it - they must improve from within.

Ericsson and Mike Green are off to good starts. Ericsson is playing with more poise and making good decisions with the puck. Green has been more aggressive offensively, though he still needs to shoot more. Sproul has fit in well.

Danny DeKeyser, Smith and Marchenko have room for improvement.

Q: Is (Drew) Miller's one more year worth (Martin) Frk's 10-year career? Is (Steve) Ott's? I would be willing to wager he outplays the pair combined this year. Seems like (general manager Ken) Holland gets off easy with Detroit press talking about his past. His past 10 years are below average. He said sometimes you don't keep the best, but the best that fit together. Wings are moving down the pecking order because most teams keep their best and let the young ones take their place. See Chicago, Tampa Bay. We didn't want to trade Mantha for a legitimate top D, but apparently didn't think he is better than some not great under-producing players. Make sense to you? - Bill

A: Frk is not a fourth-line player. He needs to be in a top-nine role to utilize his offensive skills. The Red Wings determined he wasn't going to get that opportunity this season or in the years to come, with players like Mantha, Evgeny Svechnikov and Tyler Bertuzzi in the system.

We'll see. But Frk has appeared in two games for Carolina (no points, minus-3, averaging 8:20 in ice time) and might be waived again shortly.

Players like Miller and Ott fill roles that Frk can't and help the Red Wings more than Frk could as a healthy scratch.

Mantha, likewise, is not a fit on the fourth line. He needs an opening on the top nine to get an opportunity, and it likely will come at some point this season.

Q: Does Carolina seem to want to get in the Wings' hair with this claiming of players on the waiver wire? Frk is the second one in recent years. -- Admin

A: Just a coincidence, I believe. Makes no sense for an organization to acquire a player just for spite. Multiple teams put in claims for Andrej Nestrasil in 2014 and Frk this year. Carolina, being near the bottom of the league, had the advantage in winning the claim.

Q: After recently watching a replay of the Feb. 24, 2011 fight between Steve Ott and Jonathan Ericsson, it begs the question: How well do these two get along now that they are on the same team? It would be nice to hear that they are good friends. It is hard to believe, but it appears that even Darren McCarty and Claude Lemieux have respect for one another these days. - Scott

A: It's not uncommon for players who fought at one time to be teammates later in their careers. It's part of the game and usually there are no hard feelings. One of the reasons the Red Wings signed Ott was because he's regarded as a good influence in the room.

Chris Chelios was one of the biggest antagonists in the league and had many battles with the Red Wings (including a fight with Steve Yzerman) before he arrived in Detroit. He was welcomed immediately and fit right in.

I always maintained that Lemieux was the only player who would not have been accepted by Red Wings fans or in the room if he had been dealt to Detroit.

Q: I keep seeing the puck flip-pray-somebody-is-there mentality coming out of our D-zone and nine times out of 10 we just give it back to them. I would love to see the answer anybody from the team gives as to why, instead of that mentality, we don't turn back, set up a rush and play possession hockey? Same applies for the stretch pass to a guy along the boards with three opposing players back already. Wings were very fortunate to come out of (St. Louis) with any points at all. Flashes of good, but a lot if the same stuff from seasons past. Also, (Zetterberg) looks hurt. We have guys in GR like Mantha and Svechnikov who are still waiver (exempt). Let Z get healthy for a few games, sit (DeKeyser) a game and put (Ouellet) with Green and see what plays out. We're not going deep with this team anyway (averages have a funny way of evening out over a season), so get the young guys some reps, rest the older guys from time to time and let underperforming D-men know there's someone behind them. Maybe sit Marchenko a few games. Not as punishment, but let them see what's happening from the box. Have (Chelios) sit next to them. - David

A: Regarding your first question, the emphasis has been to play faster, a more north-south game. They want their defense to get the puck and get moving. Seems to be working so far, but it's early.

They don't have the roster spot or the cap space to recall anybody from Grand Rapids. If they were to rest Zetterberg (I think it's too early for that), he'd need to be replaced by someone on the roster. Sitting DeKeyser for Ouellet would be a bad move. Marchenko isn't off to a great start, but having a lefty and a righty on each defense pair is advantageous in some ways.

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