The Detroit Red Wings are running out of time to make a clean hire, and that delay could matter in a very big way for Dylan Larkin.
Tomorrow will be one month since Steve Yzerman’s tenure ended as general manager, and Monday will mark one month until Detroit opens training camp at Little Caesars Arena. So far, there’s no sign the organization is close to naming a replacement. That leaves the eventual hire with a shrinking window to get to work.
That matters because the new leader will need time to sort through the Larkin situation, including whether the captain might be open to staying. For now, the idea that Detroit would simply take draft picks and prospects from Minnesota in a Larkin deal does not appear to be the direction people around the league expect.
The view around the NHL is that Yzerman was right to ask for a proven player or players in return. A team that already struggles to score can’t afford to trade away a proven 30-goal scorer for a package built on uncertainty.
The broader league logic is clear enough: unless you’re drafting in the Top 15, picks are basically lottery tickets. Even in the first round, there’s roughly a 30% chance a team won’t come away with a player who turns into a regular.
If Larkin hasn’t changed his mind and won’t expand his list of acceptable destinations, Detroit’s best shot at a return may be to bring in a third team. That could mean a club with a high-salaried veteran it wants to shed for cap relief.
The Red Wings could then take futures from Minnesota and flip them for that veteran. It’s a workable idea, but not a quick one.
And that’s the point: time is the enemy here. The new hire will need to evaluate a Larkin move, re-sign Simon Edvinsson, think about a separate move to add scoring, get aligned with coach Todd McLellan, weigh major staff changes, and call Alex DeBrincat to tell him to expect the Brinks truck to show up at his house as soon as he can make it happen.
For now, Shawn Horcoff is handling things on an interim basis, but Expressen reports that Edvinsson’s agent is waiting for the new hire before continuing contract talks. Horcoff also cannot make trades, which means all Larkin discussions have effectively stopped.
Detroit needs to speed this up. The next director of hockey operations has to have enough runway to make a real impact this season, and the organization owes that to a fan base that has watched the team miss the playoffs for a decade.
Charlie Forslund is another name worth watching in the system. The 2024 seventh-round pick, taken 176th overall, will play for Brynas in the Swedish Hockey League this season. The 6-foot-3, 212-pound wing is set for his first season in Sweden’s top league after playing in the country’s Tier II league last season.
In Other News...
Dylan Larkin Trade Drama Could Hinge On Another Stars Decision
The Dylan Larkin trade situation in Detroit has been tied to a broader decision in Minnesota, where Quinn Hughes is reportedly likely to re-sign but still wants a short-term contract while the Wild are pushing for something longer. That matters because Minnesota is one of the three teams Larkin has asked to be moved to, giving the Red Wings a possible landing spot that could shape the rest of their offseason if the pieces ever start moving again.
For now, though, those conversations are stuck in place. Detroits trade talks are on hold because of the freeze created while the club searches for a new director of hockey operations, leaving Larkins request in limbo and making the Wilds next move one to watch closely. If Hughes situation lands the way Minnesota wants, it could tighten the paths available to Larkin and affect how the Red Wings approach the rest of their roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Have Seen This Trade Deadline Mistake Before
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Around the league, the cautionary tales keep piling up. Torontos swing for Scott Laughton ended after only 21 games before he moved on elsewhere, while Edmontons bet on Trent Frederic has already raised eyebrows after a difficult stretch following his long-term deal. For a Red Wings front office still trying to find the right balance between urgency and patience, those are the kinds of outcomes that can make every deadline gamble feel a little more familiar than comforting. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Just Got A New Franzen Name To Watch
The Franzen name is coming back around in Detroit hockey circles, and this time it belongs to Eddie-Bo Franzen, the son of former Red Wings forward Johan Franzen. He is set to join Little Caesars 15U AAA team for the upcoming season after playing for Linkoping HCs U16 team in Sweden, giving him a new stage in a city that already knows the family name well.
For Eddie-Bo, the move also means a major adjustment on and off the ice. He will be the first Swedish player on the team and will have to get used to the smaller American rink, a change that can alter timing and space for a young defenseman or forward in a hurry. He is also set to live with former Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood while in Detroit, adding another familiar hockey connection as he settles into the next chapter. [Read more 🡒]