NHL Rumors: Red Wings Should Not Pursue Flames Defenseman Jay Bouwmeester

Giving up any kind of value to trade for Calgary Flames defenseman Jay Bouwmeester would be a terrible move for the Detroit Red Wings.

However, Detroit has reportedly already made an offer for the 28-year-old defenseman, per Gregg Krupa of The Detroit News.

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A report out of Calgary last week had the Red Wings offering Valtteri Filppula, Jonathan Ericsson and a prospect to the Flames for Jay Bouwmeester. But it seemed like wishful thinking, at best.

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Depending on who the prospect is in this offer, this trade package won't help the Flames become anything more than a team with a chance to secure one of the last playoff spots next season.

If these are the kind of offers that Calgary is receiving for Bouwmeester, then keeping him for now and making him available at the trade deadline is definitely the best plan for the franchise.

The biggest problem for the Red Wings regarding Bouwmeester is his massive salary cap hit of $6.68 million for two more years. It would be a terrible idea for Detroit to cut into its $13 million in salary cap space by acquiring him.

If any team is going to add a player with a cap hit near $6.68, the player needs to be a star who consistently performs at a high level.

Unfortunately for Bouwmeester, he doesn't fit this description.

After scoring just 29 points last season, along with his worst plus/minus rating (minus-21) since his rookie season, Bouwmeester can't be expected to give the Red Wings what they need on the blue line this season or next year.

Adding Bouwmeester would be a step back for the Red Wings, and it would be an expensive one, too. Trading for the Flames' star makes zero sense for Detroit, which is an organization that rarely makes foolish trades.

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Nicholas Goss is an NHL lead blogger at Bleacher Report. He was also the organization's on-site reporter for the 2011 Stanley Cup Final in Boston. Follow him on Twitter.