The Detroit Red Wings have been an above-average team thus far this season, posting a 14-11-3 record to keep them in the thick of the hunt for a Stanley Cup playoff spot in the Atlantic Division.

One of the key reasons why is that their top-three forwards are doing much of the heavy lifting on offense.

For reference, Red Wings star center and captain Dylan Larkin has 15 goals and 31 points this year. Right winger Lucas Raymond has 21 assists and 31 points, and right winger Alex DeBrincat has 14 goals and 29 points.

All three forwards are putting together points at above a point-per-game pace, which has to make Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman happy. But after that, there are only three other Wings forwards with more than 10 points – right winger Patrick Kane (18 points), left winger Emmitt Finnie (13 points) and center Andrew Copp (11 points).

In the past, the Red Wings' biggest issues in recent years have been in net. But the dropoff after their top point-producers this season has to be concerning. 

That brings us to the $16.5-million in salary cap space that Wings GM has to play with right now – a total that would rise to a whopping $52.7-million by the NHL’s March 6 trade deadline.

If the Vancouver Canucks decide to trade veteran forward Kiefer Sherwood – who currently has 12 goals and 16 points in 28 games – you’d have to think Detroit could be a great landing spot for him.

NHL Rumor Roundup: Canucks' Kiefer Sherwood Draws Interest, Plus Islanders Buzz Vancouver Canucks winger Kiefer Sherwood has become one of the most notable players in the trade market, plus the New York Islanders could be considering their options in this season's trade market.

Sherwood is slated to be a UFA at the end of this season, and the Red Wings have plenty of space to keep him in a Detroit uniform for the foreseeable future. Not to mention, the 30-year-old only costs $1.5 million against the salary cap.

That said, you have to feel for Wings fans who see their team on the precipice of ending their nine-year Stanley Cup playoff drought without seeing Yzerman making notable additions to the roster this season.

It would also help Detroit’s cause if Yzerman made an addition on the back end, but the priority at the moment has to be bringing in scoring help. 

The Red Wings have all three of their first-round draft picks for the next three seasons, as well as two second-rounders. So it would behoove Detroit to spend one of those draft assets to acquire a difference-maker. But Yzerman will have to move fast if he wants Sherwood, who has appeal to many teams.

Regardless, the Wings should not stand pat. The Atlantic has five teams within four points of each other at the top of the division, and that competitiveness could remain throughout the season.

But the parity around the league is such that there isn’t a slew of trade options available at this moment, and if Detroit fails to pick up someone like Sherwood, they may have an even tougher time lining up a trade as the season continues to unfold.

There’s no time like the present for the Red Wings to acquire a veteran contributor. The longer they wait, the harder it could be to pick up a needle-mover to help push them into the post-season.

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