Detroit Red Wings interested in Tyler Myers?

The Detroit Red Wings missed out on the few prime free agent defensemen available on July 1 and now must scramble to fortify their blue line if they’re going to return to the playoffs once more in 2015. Now it appears the team must turn to the trade market for help. In that vein, the team has plenty of options, both young and old. One of the most hotly rumored targets? Buffalo blue liner Tyler Myers.

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Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press writes that the Red Wings are rumored to be interested in Myers, the 6’8″ defenseman who has played more than 300 games played at only 24 years old. She supports the idea, noting that Myers “is good offensively (he has hit or come close to 10 goals four out of five seasons) and valuable on the power play, where he has 13 of his 41 career goals.”

Acquiring Myers would be a strong sign for Detroit, who avoided the mystifying wave of ‘defensive defenseman’ signings for ludicrous amounts this offseason. Myers would hold a lower cap hit than this year’s UFA darling, Matt Niskanen, and at 24 he’ll just be hitting his prime as his contract comes to a close in five years. The deal would be a good move for Detroit not just this year, but for the team’s future.

However, the Wings won’t get Myers for cheap. St. James writes, “the asking price is going to start with one of Gustav Nyquist, Tomas Tatar or Tomas Jurco. Buffalo might well ask for Anthony Mantha, but the Wings aren’t relinquishing him. One player alone wouldn’t do it, though — there would likely be a high draft pick involved, too, maybe even a second player, someone in his mid-20s.”

That’s certainly not pennies as Gustav Nyquist was one of the most electrifying young forwards who came out of nowhere this season. Still, if you want a good young player, you usually have to give one up in return. If the Red Wings are serious about building their blue line, they’ll have to make a trade for Myers or someone of a similar status in the league. Such assets don’t come cheap.