The presence of Alex Tuch at No. 3 on the Athletic’s recent trade board has prompted considerable buzz among Detroit Red Wings fans about the possibility of GM Steve Yzerman pursuing him in a trade.

But maybe the fan attention is misplaced on Tuch.

Tuch is desirable to be sure. He boasts 94 goals over the past three seasons. At 29, he’s still in his prime. The Red Wings need another scorer for their top-six forward group. But he’s going to be a UFA this summer, and will he want to cast his future with a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in nine seasons? He’s on a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 14 years.  Would the Red Wings give up a first-round pick and an elite prospect for a rental player who may have no interest in signing with the team? They would want to know they could sign him.

Plus, it feels like sooner or later the Sabres will offer Tuch a deal worth more than $10 million per season. He grew up rooting for the Sabres. It would seem like he would take an extension if the average salary were in line with the most recent signings.

The better fit for the Red Wings on that Athletic list may be Nashville center Ryan O’Reilly at No. 7. At 34, O’Reilly is still a 20-25 goal scorer, and a 50-plus points guy. O’Reilly is a career 55.7% faceoff artist, and he’s over 56% this season. He’s making $4.5 million this season and next.  O’Reilly does have a no-movement clause, but he’s an old-school player who probably would be willing to move for an opportunity to play meaningful games down the stretch. Could he be persuaded to come to Detroit for the chance to play with Patrick Kane? If so, his price tag should be less than Tuch’s

We would guess the Red Wings will make a phone call about O’Reilly.

Red Wings In Case You Missed Ites

Young forward Marco Kasper’s struggles boil over into frustration in Detroit’s loss to the New York Islanders. His confidence seems to be bottoming out.

The New York Islanders’ fourth line humbled the Red Wings in their 5-0 shutout. A young Russian named Max Shabanov had himself a night.

What the Red Wings like about promising youngsters Nate Danielson and Emmitt Finnie.

Red Wings Extra

The Red Wings’ Grand Rapids Griffins farm team (11-0-0-1) resumes play tonight with a home game against Charlotte Checkers. The Griffins have outscored their opponents 50-25 this season.  Their power play efficiency (87.8%) ranks second in the AHL.  John Leonard boasts a 10-game points streak. He has 11 goals in 10 games. Amadeus Lombardi has shown at least one point in 10 of his 12 games this season.

Hockey Now Network

Colorado: The Avalanche won their seventh game in a row, but lost Gavin Brindley to an injury on Thursday. Colorado Avalanche.

Florida: The Panthers celebrated former Detroit player Jeff Petry’s 1,000th game before producing a win against the New Jersey Devils. Florida Panthers. 

Philadelphia: William James ponders whether the Flyers should make a run at acquiring intriguing prospect Brad Lambert from Winnipeg. Philadelphia Flyers. 

San Jose: Sheng Peng writes that GM Mike Grier deserves credit for the Sharks’ improvement beyond Macklin Celebrini and Yaroslav Askarov. San Jose Sharks.