Red Wings' John Leonard Faces Pivotal Contract Year After Standout Season
After dominating the AHL with a career-best scoring surge, the journeyman winger must now translate minor-league brilliance into a permanent roster spot before his one-year extension expires.
Video Transcript
Well, that's just it.
It, it's not about the moves that Detroit made, it's about the moves that everyone around them made, Andrew.
And, you know, it, it's gonna be such an uphill battle even if Dylan Larkin is there the whole year for the Red Wings to make the playoffs.
And, you know, it, it, it's tough.
Like, I- I'm looking at it and I, I, I s- I actually see a scenario where they are battling the Ottawa Senators for worst team in the Atlantic.
And it, it's y- worst team that might still have more points than maybe a playoff team in the Pacific.
Like, it, it's such a weird, weird situation where the Atlantic is really the beast of the NHL, top to bottom.
It's not just a top-heavy division, it's just got a lot of depth.
And I don't see a scenario where Detroit sneaks in, and, and that's probably why, Dylan Larkin wants out.
Like, if I'm looking at that and going, "Okay, how are we better than the Florida Panthers or the Toronto Maple Leafs next year?
Never mind the three teams that make the playoffs."
And, you know, it, it's not gonna happen.
So, you know, Victor Robertsson, great pickup.
Daniil Taras- Tarasov, sure.
Keaton Kolzar, yeah, okay.
They're just kinda guys.
They're not gonna be changing anyone's mind about what Detroit is.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I mean, it all comes down to Dylan Larkin, right?
And, you know, it sounds like Steve Yzerman's not gonna be pushed into making a move, which is the right decision.
At the same time, it This feels like they needed a statement, a la Zach Parise, but unfortunately it, it does feel like Dylan Larkin does want out of Detroit and he, it- he's clearly been frustrated for a couple of years now.
And, and he's, you know, he's been public about it.
So I, I, I feel like they need to rip the Band-Aid off because, you know, what if it comes to opening night, Dylan Larkin's your captain, like, does he get booed?
You know, like, how do the fans react?
Do they, do they understand where he's coming from and, you know, and just be polite about it?
Like, it's a pretty tough situation that I don't think anybody wants to be in, and it feels like it needs to be solved sooner than later.
The only question is, you know, what's the deal that is a good hockey trade for the Red Wings?
Because they don't wanna go backwards again, and I totally understand that.
So you need to somehow find, y- I mean, maybe it's a three-way trade where, like, Elias Pettersson comes from Vancouver because at least he is nominally a number one center.
But I don't think Dylan Larkin wants to go to Vancouver because they're in even worse shape than the Red Wings right now in terms of where they are in their rebuild.
So it's a difficult situation.
