The Washington Capitals could have to depend on a never-before-discussed commutative property in order to pull off a trade with the Detroit Red Wings for star center Dylan Larkin.
Call it the balancing law of players named Dylan. It might need a more catchy name, but there's a case to be made that the best way for the Caps to get Larkin is with their own Dylan — Dylan Strome.
There are multiple reasons why Strome could be pivotal to a Larkin deal, and it's worth considering if the buzz heats up at any point about Larkin coming to the nation's capital. It's hard to see such a trade getting done without Strome.
And no matter what else the deal included, it would at least have one Dylan going in each direction.
The Athletic recently noted that Strome is a trade candidate for the Capitals, not just for anyone but specifically for Larkin.
"This might be a stretch," The Athletic's Barry Svrluga wrote. "But if Dylan Larkin regards your franchise as an acceptable landing spot, you have to consider what might make a deal work. Strome, 29, is coming off his lowest goal and point production in any of his four seasons with the Caps. He alone wouldn't be enough to land Larkin, but he could be part of a package that included a younger foundational piece. The question really is: Would the Caps be willing to package Strome with Cole Hutson or Ilya Protas? Doubtful."
It's definitely worth wondering whether the Capitals would go much above and beyond Strome to get a trade done.
The Red Wings have some power here, as they're the ones who have Larkin, but the whole league knows they want to trade him, which lowers some of their leverage.
It seems they'd have to settle for secondary pieces with Strome if the move was eventually to send Larkin to Washington.
There's one part of Strome's contract that could make this work: He doesn't have a no-trade clause.
Every player on the Capitals who is paid more than Strome has some form of a no-trade clause. He is rare among modern NHL standout players that he doesn't have any such thing in his deal.
Washington will want to get close to matching Larkin's incoming salary, and Strome gets about two-thirds of the way there — but most importantly, the Caps can trade Strome without his approval.
Considering that Larkin needs to approve his trade destination, it'd certainly be helpful for Detroit if the team on the other side of the negotiation didn't have that same problem. Centering a trade around Strome would avoid such issues.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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