Friedman on Red Wings' interest in Myers, Campbell

Elliotte Friedman was on Sportsnet 960 Thursday afternoon.

On the Detroit Red Wings needing a defenseman:

“Yeah, they need a right-hand shot. They’re all lefties and they do want a right-hand shot. The hot name has been Tyler Myers. It’s difficult for me to figure out exactly what Buffalo is doing there. Tyler Myers is 24 years old. He signed a big contract, but if you look at the way it’s structured - go on CapGeek – you’ll notice the salary starts to come down as the contract ends. It was really front-loaded, especially with a big signing bonus. So it’s a good number. You look at that contract and what you have take in actual salary the next few years, and you’d happily pay that for a 24-year-old.

“Sometimes I think, ‘Is the guy struggling?’ Yes. But is he struggling because of what’s going on around him. He’s another guy that you’re never going to look at him and say, ‘That guy doesn’t care’ or ‘That guy doesn’t try.’ He cares a lot and he tries a lot.

“And I think Detroit looks at him and he’s a right-hand shot. They’d love to have it. But what Buffalo definitely has done is the ask is really high. When they spoke in the summer, the ask was Anthony Mantha and the Red Wings are not willing to do that.

“And I saw today or yesterday it was reported the ask was maybe Gustav Nyquist. I’m not certain about that. I do think when they talked to Buffalo about Ehrhoff last year, the ask might have been Nyquist. So it wouldn’t surprise me if that was the case with Myers too.

“But I think what the Sabres have said is, ‘If you want him, you’re paying through the nose to get him.’

“The other guy I’ve heard Detroit linked with is Brian Campbell. He’s a leftie shot, but he can still move the puck. And he’s got a big ticket. His cap is $7.1 million. One more year. So I’m thinking that Florida, unless it’s a big contract back, they would probably have to keep some of the money to make that work with Detroit.”

Source: Sportsnet 960/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey