The Detroit Red Wings may not be casually listening on Dylan Larkin. If they’re moving him at all, the price is massive.
According to Darren Dreger on TSN, Detroit is seeking three or four assets for Larkin, who carries an $8.7 million cap hit through 2031.
“So, three or four pieces is what Horcoff is looking for. Again, it’s kind of the usual stuff here. You’re talking about two ‘A’-quality prospects, you’re looking at a top-nine forward who can play with the Red Wings in the NHL right now, and on top of all of that, a first-round draft pick.
I believe that there are clubs out there that are willing to pay that price. It doesn’t sound too steep when you look at the significance of Larkin as a No. 2 centre on most teams in the NHL.”
There is, though, a built-in complication: some of the teams willing to pay that kind of package are also blocked by Larkin’s no-trade clause.
On the Canadiens side, the message is pretty clear - Montreal is hunting big.
Daily Faceoff’s David Pagnotta said GM Kent Hughes is looking for a superstar or star player and has been talking to everyone. Montreal has checked on wingers and centers, and the organization is open to moving young players.
“The Montreal Canadiens, from my understanding, have been in or are in on pretty much every superstar/star that has been remotely discussed. They’ve at least inquired and had those conversations. Kent Hughes has done a fantastic job in making sure that he knows every detail with respect to who is or will potentially be available
And the Canadiens, I know the fan base is going nuts because they made the Conference Final and they didn’t make a big splash in the summer. I’m telling you, it wasn’t a lack of trying. I’ve talked to a lot of people around the league as most recently as this morning again, and they’ve all indicated that Kent Hughes and his staff want to go after a really big fish.
Now the interesting thing is, outside of (Dylan) Larkin, I don’t know if that’s a center position player. Because (Kirill) Marchenko, (Matthew) Knies both wingers.
You know, in the past they tried and kicked tires on (Jordan) Kyrou. They tried on Robert Thomas, not necessarily center being the primary objective from the sounds of things for the Montreal Canadiens.
But they’ve got a lot of assets that they’re willing to move, a lot of young assets that they’re willing to move, and if there’s a big fish that’s out there that’s in the mid-20s range, they’re going to be all over it.”
That leaves Montreal positioned to jump if the right player becomes available, especially if that player fits the mid-20s age range Hughes is chasing.
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