DETROIT, MICH -- It's been reported that the St. Louis Blues are open to entertaining the idea of trading right-shooting defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk:

I would NOT rule out possibility of Blues entertaining idea of trading Shattenkirk. He has 2 more years left on his deal at 4.25m AAV (1/2)

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 1, 2015

Shattenkirk will be due a substantial raise & it will be a lot of money allotted to a defense which already has Petro/Bouw signed long-term.

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) July 1, 2015

Shattenkirk is likely one of the best defensemen the Blues have, so why trade him? The concern is that he will be due for a very large raise in 2017. He is currently getting paid $4.25 million for the next two seasons. But what would this cost the Red Wings? My guess is it could be a package of draft picks, roster players, or prospects.

The Red Wings have a handful of roster players who are pending UFA next summer that could make this a feasible trade. Players like Justin Abdelkader, or Darren Helm packaged with a draft pick and a prospect could make a really alluring trade for the St. Louis Blues.

Detroit also has a handful of promising prospects such as Tomas Jurco, or Teemu Pulkkinen who will be affordable for years to come that could make this trade work. I know it's not easy to digest, but I wouldn't have any problems moving a player not named Svechnikov, Mantha, or Larkin for a guy like Shattenkirk.

Shattenkirk is coming off of back-to-back 40 point seasons, and can play in all situations. The price may be steep, but I would love to see the Red Wings try and play ball with this speculation.

UPDATE:

Spoke w/Kevin Shattenkirk's agent Jordan Neumann who says there's no truth that Shattenkirk is being dealt.

— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) July 1, 2015

For now, at least...

Would you trade for Kevin Shattenkirk?