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NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest On Dylan Larkin, Darnell Nurse And Jesperi Kotkaniemi
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- NHL Rumor Roundup: Latest On Dylan Larkin, Darnell Nurse And Jesperi Kotkaniemi
It's been almost a month sinceDylan Larkin submitted a three-team trade request to the Detroit RedWings .
So far, however, there's no indication that the 29-year-oldcenter is close to being moved.
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On Saturday, Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman told reporters he would do what was bestfor the franchise. He said there was no guarantee that Larkin'srequest could or should be met.
Larkin has five years remainingon his contract with an average annual value of $8.7 million and afull no-trade clause. He's reportedly willing to waive it for the Minnesota Wild , Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights .
However,the remaining term on his deal means Yzerman is facing littlepressure to move him this summer.
Michael Russo and Joe Smith ofThe Athletic reported the Wild remain very much in the Larkinsweepstakes, with Wild GM Bill Guerin in constant contact withYzerman and Larkin's agent, Pat Brisson.
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Russo and Smith believe Guerinwould trade multiple first-round picks and prospects, such as CharlieStramel and Danila Yurov, for Larkin. However, they're notsufficient to meet Yzerman's high asking price, which would likelyinclude a good young NHL center.
Meanwhile, the Panthers andGolden Knights aren't expected to get into the bidding due to theirlimited salary-cap space and lack of suitable assets.
If Larkin is determined to betraded this summer, he might have to expand his list of destinations.
The Way Out Without Trading Nurse
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Speaking of players who've madetrade requests, Darnell Nurse remains a member of the Edmonton Oilers after asking to be traded earlier in June.
TSN's Darren Dreger reported onFriday there was nothing new to report regarding Nurse'ssituation. The 31-year-old defenseman submitted a three-team list,with the Philadelphia Flyers , Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins believed to be his preferred destinations.
So far, however, there's noindication of any headway with those teams.
Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal speculated the Anaheim Ducks might tryto get into the bidding. He also thinks the presence of Columbus BlueJackets defenseman Zach Werenski in the trade market could make ittougher for the Oilers to move Nurse.
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Turning to the Stanley Cup-champion Carolina Hurricanes , it was expected they would buy outcenter Jesperi Kotkaniemi when the contract buyout window opened thismonth.
Kotkaniemi, 25, has struggled tonail down a full-time position with the Hurricanes since joining themin 2021. His inconsistency made him a frequent healthy scratch, andhe never appeared in any playoff games during the Hurricanes' runto the Stanley Cup.
However, NHL insider FrankSeravalli said Sunday he didn't expect the Hurricanes tobuy out Kotkaniemi before Tuesday's 5 p.m. ET deadline. Instead,they'll try to move him and his $4.8-million cap hit through 2029-30 inthe trade market.
Despite Kotkaniemi's struggles,Seravalli believes he'll still have value in the trade marketbecause of the limited number of available centers.
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