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Red Wings Still Looking for Larkin Trade Partner
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- Red Wings Still Looking for Larkin Trade Partner
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Detroit Red Wings have still yet to trade center Dylan Larkin , despite the months-long saga's drama. Larkin's ten-team trade list, up from an original three-team list, has yet to produce a serious contender with an offer to interim GM Shawn Horcoff 's liking.
Of course, not helping matters is that the half of the team's on Larkin's list don't have much interest, or much ability to make a move for the five time 30+ goal scorer. The Colorado Avalanche's roster of forwards all have no trade clauses aside from Nic Roy and younger depth players like Gavin Brindley and TJ Hughes, and the Florida Panthers are apparently not interested in Larkin's services despite the injuries to their top six forward group.
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Instead, the Red Wings are reportedly seeking offers from teams outside of Larkin's trade list, hoping to find an acceptable return for Larkin before finding out if he will actually waive his NTC to make the flight the other way.
According to Insider Pierre LeBrun own a recent appearance on a Quebecois French-language sports-show, "There are other teams —and according to my information, 6 to 8 teams outside the list of 10 that the Wings have been talking with—whom they feel (have better offers)."
Detroit may be hoping to drive the price for Larkin up as they also face the prospect of being unable to sign RFA Simon Edvinsson . With the Red Wings potentially looking to get a big return from their 23-year-old defenseman, getting more for Larkin would help to assuage some of the obvious damage from losing a budding star on the back end.
The big Swedish blueliner shares an agency with Larkin, and both have been embroiled in difficult negotiations with Hockeytown over the course of the last six months.
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Why so long?
The biggest factor complicating Larkin's trade is that his value on ice is not nearly the same as the value of his contract to other teams.
Larkin is seen around the league as a top end second line center or a middle tier top line center. Larkin fits on a lot of teams as the second-best player, and many of his destinations would have him playing second (or third) fiddle to more established stars in the fanbases, such as in Vegas (Mark Stone, Mitch Marner , Jack Eichel ) or Minnesota (Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes).
However, the Red Wings want the return of a headliner, and they're not wrong to ask for it.
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Larkin has 5+ seasons of 30 goals or more, and his 8.7 million dollar cap hit through the next five years is likely going to be half of what other top six players are making in the next three years.
Larkin's contract provides flexibility for a contending team to add other pieces at a later date to bigger contracts.
However, Larkin hasn't made himself an appealing catch with recent actions, and the public perception is that Larkin is shirking responsibility to force his way out by quitting after scoring two goals while playing for the Red Wings for less than a month after stating he was trying to "man up."
That can be a hard sell to make to outside front offices.
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