Report: Red Wings actively pursuing Cam Fowler and Kevin Shattenkirk

After pulling off a miraculous trade at the draft, moving Pavel Datsyuk, the Red Wings have some money to play around with this free agency period and apparently they are going to use it. Their estimated cap space as of this article is 20 million, that is enough to make some noise this off-season. Could they be pursuing a high end defensemen via trade?

General Manager Ken Holland apparently has had a very busy weekend, in addition to the trade that he made at the draft, he was also in hot pursuit of Kevin Shattenkirk and Cam Fowler according to the Detroit Free Press.

Fowler, who is 24, already has multiple seasons under his belt at this point and is more of a veteran presence than a youthful injection. He scored 40 points in his rookie year and has yet to reach that mark again in his pro career. His underlying numbers aren’t very good and on a team like the Red Wings, they aren’t bound to improve over time. Fowler is a defender that won’t be worth the investment.

Shattenkirk is a bit older at 27 but has a better track record than Fowler. He has more points and much better underlying numbers as well. The problem with trying to acquire Shattenkirk is the amount it would take to get him. The Detroit Free Press reports that the asking price is Dylan Larkin. Do you want to move one of the face’s of your franchise? It would be too bitter of a pill to swallow, the potential that Larkin has versus what Shattenkirk has shown is almost no contest. You need to take advantage of young player’s in their cost efficient years.

Detroit went from a potentially quiet off-season to a full on bonkers one in just a few days time. This could be a pivotal moment for them as they could sink or swim given the moves they make. They would use help at multiple positions, how ready are they to pull the trigger?