The Bruins are still in the hunt for Dylan Larkin, but the Red Wings center isn’t budging from his 10-team list, and Boston isn’t on it.
That hasn’t stopped the Bruins from pushing. They’re sitting atop the Atlantic and looking for another boost, with Friedman and Dreger saying they’d love to land Larkin.
Detroit is still shopping him, but any move needs Larkin’s approval, which leaves this one in a holding pattern for now. The situation is simple enough: Boston wants him, he doesn’t want Boston, and the longer this drags on, the more that could change.
In Tampa, Andrei Vasilevskiy’s camp is making it clear that the goalie is happy where he is. His agent says Vasilevskiy is “extremely happy” with the Lightning and wants to play 1,000 games for the club. Milstein said he keeps each client’s situation separate, even though Vasilevskiy and Nikita Kucherov share an agent.
Still, the backdrop in Tampa is impossible to ignore. The Lightning let Stamkos walk, and now Kucherov is headed for free agency. That kind of negotiation can shift the mood fast, and if it ever spilled over onto Vasilevskiy, he’d be the top goalie on the market and wouldn’t have any shortage of suitors.
In Edmonton, Mike Babcock is looking past Connor McDavid’s point totals and zeroing in on the details. He says he’s more impressed by McDavid’s backchecking, his timing on the forecheck and his defensive play than by the numbers on the scoresheet.
That doesn’t mean McDavid’s offense has taken a back seat. He’s still on pace for his best offensive year ever, and Babcock says he doesn’t want to handcuff him. The goal is to make him a more complete player, and Babcock believes that process is already showing results just a few weeks in.
In Other News...
Red Wings Keep Running Into The Same Costly Problem
The Red Wings came up short again in a 2-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, a game that looked like it might turn on a timely breakthrough but instead reinforced the same issue hanging over Detroit. Carter Mazur and Anton Johansson provided the offense, but the broader problem has been hard to miss all season: the scoring has been spread thin, with 15 players sitting at two goals or fewer.
Detroit still had a chance to tilt the night in its favor late, but the third period did not produce the kind of special-teams lift the club needed. Those missed opportunities loomed especially large in a one-goal game, and they left the Red Wings searching for answers as they head into Saturdays meeting with the Colorado Avalanche. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Emerge In Trade Talks That Could Get Very Expensive
Trade chatter around the Red Wings has picked up with San Jose and Detroit reportedly discussing restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson, a name that immediately changes the temperature of any negotiation. The Sharks are said to be looking for a puck-moving defenseman, while also working with limited salary cap space as they try to reshape their roster, which helps explain why this conversation has gotten serious enough to draw in multiple pieces.
Michael Misa is part of the framework being discussed, but Detroit is not treating this as a one-for-one type of deal. The Red Wings are seeking a larger package, which is where the talks get complicated and, potentially, expensive for San Jose if it wants to land the kind of defense help it is chasing. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Let Another Late Lead Slip In Brutal Home Loss
The Red Wings had another one slip away at home, and this one stung because they were in position to at least bank a point before the third period turned against them. Detroit fell 2-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights after carrying a lead deep into the game, only to see the visitors erase it with a pair of third-period goals.
Daniil Tarasov did everything he could to keep Detroit afloat, turning aside 32 shots while the lineup remained shorthanded because of injuries. Instead, the night ended with the Red Wings empty-handed and still searching for a way to close out tight games, with the Colorado Avalanche waiting next on the schedule. [Read more 🡒]