Dylan Larkin requested a trade away from the Detroit Red Wings four months ago, yet 12 games in, he remains with the team. What has happened? Well, for starters, Detroit recently got an expanded list of 10 teams that Larkin will be willing to accept a trade to. Detroit is also attempting to find the best price for their former captain and, at the same time, restricting themselves to the list Larkin provided.
David Pagnotta said “things are picking up” on the trade front with both Larkin and contract holdout Simon Edvinsson. Unlike Edvinsson, there is no hard date that a trade must get done in the near future. Larkin was held out of practice on Wednesday, but that was revealed to be a “maintenance day” according to Todd McLellan.
Larkin’s Expanded List Leads To More Buzz
On Oct. 20, Detroit received some movement on the possibility of trading Larkin. The team’s former captain and No. 1 centerman expanded his prior list of three teams to 10 in hopes of making a deal more accessible.
The teams that were in the initial list were the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights. Now he has opened it up to include the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth, and Washington Capitals.
Six of those teams were in the playoffs last season, three of them were in the Conference Finals, and one is the reigning Stanley Cup champion.
It is clear that Larkin wants to go somewhere that he can win and win immediately. The teams that were on the outside of the playoffs last year are teams moving in the right direction, and the Panthers are the team that won two of the last three Stanley Cups.
It is no coincidence that the expanded list has led to more buzz surrounding a deal for Larkin, especially considering the aggressive nature many of those teams have shown on the trade market over the last couple of seasons.
Detroit Sends Scout To Montreal Canadiens Tilt With St. Louis Blues
The Montreal Canadiens and the St. Louis Blues faced each other on Tuesday night, and the Red Wings sent a scout to the arena. Neither team is on Larkin’s short list of teams he would go to, which does not seem to stop the Red Wings from searching for a deal.
St. Louis has been rumored to be in on Edvinsson with their need for help on the blue line. Meanwhile, the Canadiens would be a spot to drop in and immediately contend. Larkin’s trade list makes it clear that contention is a major bonus, and Montreal was the only team to make the conference finals to be left off the expanded list.
Montreal could potentially put a package together for Larkin, but it would not matter if he does not opt to waive his no-trade clause. If things are beginning to heat up, then with other names off the board, the attention might be turned onto Detroit until they make their move.
Red Wings Dylan Larkin Trade Gets Significant Update