Dylan Larkin’s trade situation is getting messier by the day, and the Montreal Canadiens may already be out of the picture.
According to TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie, the Canadiens remain off Larkin’s approved list, with the center said to prefer staying in the United States. That detail matters for both sides: Montreal loses a possible answer at second-line center to start the season, and Detroit loses a trade partner that had the kind of assets that could actually make a Larkin deal work.
The Red Wings would still be in position to ask for a serious return. Larkin has five years left on his contract, and his full no-trade clause runs through 2028, which means nothing happens unless he gives the green light. When Detroit eventually hires a general manager, the asking price figures to be steep enough to justify moving the team’s top forward.
The Canadiens, at least on paper, could have met that price. They have multiple picks, a deep prospect pool, and a roster built around team-friendly contracts. Bryan Hayes and Frankie Corrado of TSN both identified Montreal as a strong fit, though Hayes also said Larkin would have to “come around to it.”
Right now, that doesn’t look likely.
Montreal isn’t the only possible landing spot, though. Minnesota has been mentioned as the favorite to land Larkin, but the Wild have their own situation to sort through with Quinn Hughes, who has not agreed to a contract extension. If that drags on, Minnesota may not want to take on another expensive deal before it knows where the Hughes number lands.
Elsewhere around the league, the interest seems broad, even if the level of seriousness is still unclear. The Golden Knights could enter the mix.
Tampa Bay could check in. Utah has even been mentioned as a sleeper.
For now, the biggest obstacle is the one built into Larkin’s contract. With the no-trade clause controlling the process, this could take a while.
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