Dylan Larkin’s trade protection is putting the Buffalo Sabres in a familiar bind.
The Red Wings center has a 10-team trade list, and Buffalo is not on it. Neither are Montreal, Boston or Los Angeles, according to reporting from TSN’s Darren Dreger, Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun, David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period, and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. For a Sabres team that has been linked to Larkin, that detail matters.
LeBrun said on TSN’s Insider Trading on Tuesday that Detroit’s interim GM Shawn Horcoff reached out to Larkin’s camp because the Wings could not find an acceptable deal with the 10 teams already on the list. Detroit wanted the list expanded by six to eight more clubs, including the Sabres, Montreal, Boston and Los Angeles. Agent Pat Brisson’s response was simple: they would not expand from 10, since the list had already gone from 3 to 10.
That stance underscores the same problem that helped shape the Sabres’ pursuit of Connor Hellebuyck. Hellebuyck was willing to waive his no-movement clause to come to Buffalo, which made him especially appealing after Buffalo’s long playoff drought. Larkin is not showing that same flexibility.
The difference is clear. Hellebuyck was open to Buffalo.
Larkin is not open to just anywhere. At 30 years old, he has been to the playoffs only once, and he wants to land with a team that is virtually certain to get there.
Making the postseason last season did not erase the reality of Buffalo’s 15-year absence from the playoffs.
For Jarmo Kekalainen, that creates another hurdle as the NHL trade deadline approaches. He has to weigh the price of adding scoring help for the playoff push while also dealing with players who may not have trade protection.
In Other News...
Alex Tuch Exit Debate Just Reopened A Painful Sabres Question
The Sabres breakup with Alex Tuch is still hanging over the franchise, not just because of what he brought on the ice, but because of how abruptly the relationship ended. Buffalo traded the winger to Washington in a sign-and-trade deal on June 24, and Tuch quickly landed an eight-year extension with his new club, leaving the Sabres to explain how a player they valued so highly was suddenly no longer part of the plan.
Tuch had said he hoped to stay in Buffalo until the trade, which only sharpened the sense that this was a painful exit for a team already trying to replace his impact. The biggest void has shown up on the penalty kill, where his absence has been especially noticeable, and it has reopened a familiar Sabres question about how a core piece got away and whether the club can afford to let that happen again. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Suddenly Have A Real Shot In The Dylan Larkin Sweepstakes
Trade chatter around Dylan Larkin has picked up enough that the Boston Bruins are now being mentioned as a serious player, but they are hardly alone. The Detroit Red Wings have drawn interest from multiple teams, including the Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres, as clubs try to gauge whether there is any path to pry away one of the leagues more sought-after centers.
For Buffalo, the bigger takeaway is that this is still very much a moving target. Detroit has not accepted any offers, Larkins trade list remains fluid, and conversations have also touched on other pieces such as Simon Edvinsson, with some teams not heavily involved in the talks yet. In a market this crowded, the Sabres are still waiting to see whether the Red Wings ever get to the point where a deal becomes realistic. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Fans Get A Painful Reminder Of The Jack Eichel Trade
For Sabres fans, the Jack Eichel trade still has a way of resurfacing at the worst possible moments. The deal on Nov. 4, 2021 sent the former Buffalo captain to Vegas after a long standoff over his neck injury, and the Golden Knights quickly got the payoff they were chasing once Eichel returned to action and became a major piece of their championship run.
Buffalo did get a haul back in Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs and a pair of premium draft picks, and those assets helped the organization reshape parts of the roster. Even so, the broader memory of the trade remains tied to what Eichel became somewhere else, and every fresh reminder of his success only sharpens the sense that this was one of the franchises defining what-if moments. [Read more 🡒]