Detroit Red Wings trade rumors: Alex Edler

Since we've still got several days' worth of watching and waiting for the NHL Trade Deadline, we've got another potential Red Wings target to cover. This time, we'll go over a defenseman in whom the Wings have shown interest in the past: Vancouver blueliner Alex Edler.

The 27-year old Edler is in the first year of a six-year deal paying a $5M AAV. He's a 6'3" left-shooting blueliner with just 15 points on the season. A no-trade clause could prevent him from moving, but there's a pretty good chance that Edler would waive a NTC to join a team he likes (like the Swedish national team in Detroit, maybe)

Edler's performance in Vancouver this year has not been up to the standard of a $5M guy. He's playing against tough competition, but is getting better chances at offensive zone starts than many of his teammates and is putting up worse results. If the possession metrics aren't bad enough, he's also seemingly getting pretty unlucky on the shots that do happen when he's on the ice, as Defending Big D points out, Edler's PDO is incredibly low. This might go a bit to explaining why his plus-minus is an astonishingly low -23.

Apparently, the Canucks are looking for a top-six forward in return for Edler. Just like with the Kesler rumor, the idea of getting away without dealing somebody the fans wouldn't want to give up is pure fantasy. Unlike Enroth and the chance that Detroit could give kids with much more room to grow, the Canucks have not committed to rebuilding as much as they apparently want to reload. Where Buffalo is apparently looking for every single pick in the 2015 draft, there's no indication Vancouver has this kind of patience.

I'd like Edler if the Wings could get him. I think he could very well be a missing-piece type on defense that turns the Wings from a bubble team to at least a threatening low-seed. If they get lucky enough to get everybody healthy at the right time, it's a move that could pay big dividends. However, as with everybody at the deadline, the prices are still running high. I feel Vancouver's asking prices are going to stay higher than other teams' requests and that's probably going to price Edler out of the Wings' plans.