The clock is ticking toward Red Wings training camp, and with it comes the possibility that captain Dylan Larkin is still in Detroit when camp opens.
Larkin asked for a trade on June 4, but the situation has not moved since then. Former general manager Steve Yzerman held onto him while waiting for an acceptable offer that never came. Then Yzerman was moved into an advisory role last month, and the Wings still have not filled the GM job.
That leaves Larkin’s status hanging in the air. But according to an NHL source familiar with the impasse, the growing belief around the organization is that if Larkin is not traded by training camp, he will report anyway - which now looks likely.
There are practical reasons for that, too. Larkin would give up $8 million in actual salary, with an $8.7 million salary cap hit, if he stayed away from camp. That is a steep price, especially with the added backlash from fans, many of whom have already turned on him.
There’s also a chance his thinking changes if the Wings hire a new GM with a different plan for the future. Larkin’s frustration with Yzerman and Detroit’s 10-year playoff drought is believed to be what pushed him to request a trade in the first place.
For now, though, the Wings would obviously prefer to have him in the lineup. And they need the offense.
Larkin finished with 34 goals, second on the team, and 67 points, third on the club. Detroit already lost Patrick Kane, who had 16 goals and 57 points, when he left for Chicago in free agency. James van Riemsdyk, who scored 15 goals, was not re-signed and remains unsigned.
That puts the Wings in a position where as many as 65 goals could be gone from the roster, depending on what happens with Larkin. The club did add Viktor Arvidsson, who scored 25 goals in free agency, and he could help replace some of that production.
But losing Larkin would do more than just strip away scoring. It would also likely dull the impact of Lucas Raymond, who had 76 points alongside him, and Kane’s departure could hurt Alex DeBrincat, who led the team with 41 goals.
Detroit may already be facing a tough season even with Larkin. Without him, it could get ugly fast.
The GM search is underway, and owner Chris Ilitch has brought in TurnkeyZRG to help identify candidates. The firm previously helped him fill important roles in the Tigers’ front office, and the Tigers are listed as a recent client on TurnkeyZRG’s website.
TurnkeyZRG was founded by Len Perna, now the company’s chairman and chief executive officer. Perna once worked as an executive director in sales for Ilitch Sports and Entertainment.
Given the way Ilitch’s businesses have leaned more heavily into data, the expectation is that Detroit’s next hockey GM will be analytics-driven. One name that has come up is Jeff Greenberg, the Tigers’ general manager under team president Scott Harris.
Whoever lands the job will have a full plate right away. Along with the Larkin situation, restricted free agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson still has not signed. If Edvinsson and the Wings want an eight-year deal, it has to be done before Sept. 16, when the new collective bargaining agreement takes effect and limits deals to seven years.
DeBrincat is also one year away from unrestricted free agency.
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