The Detroit Red Wings are still in the same spot with Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson: waiting, talking, and not moving much.
That was the message from Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period when he joined the SiriusXM NHL Network Power Play segment with Steve Kouleas and Jason Strudwick. Asked whether a trade was getting closer for either player, Pagnotta didn’t dress it up.
“Status quo with Edvinsson. Status quo with Larkin and his situation from all indications, I’m actually here in Fort Lauderdale.
The Red Wings are here. They’re playing the Panthers (Thursday night).
Larkin, Simon Edvinsson, both guys still want to move. The management and the team are trying to find the right environment that makes sense.
But with respect to Larkin, yeah, status quo. Not much has changed. They’re still waiting to see if he’s going to expand his list, and he’s waiting to see if they’re going to take the best offer on the table from one of the 10 teams.”
Pagnotta also said there’s been a little more movement around Edvinsson, at least in conversation, but nothing that has pushed the situation over the line. Edvinsson is still skating on his own in Nashville, and Pagnotta said the GM meetings this past Tuesday could lead to more discussion.
“It sounds like there’s been more traction to a degree with Edvinsson, at least from a conversational side. But obviously, he’s still skating on his own in Nashville.
He’s still waiting, and maybe the GM meetings (this past Tuesday) will spark a few conversations beyond where we’re at already. You hope that’s the case, but we’re, again, in wait-and-see mode on both the Larkin and Edvinsson sides here with the Red Wings.”
The sense around the situation remains that Detroit is holding firm on both players. The Red Wings want pieces that help them now and later, and the asking price is steep in both cases. Edvinsson’s price is even higher because he’s a young defenseman who can log top-pair minutes in the NHL.
There are teams with interest, too. The San Jose Sharks would like a player like Edvinsson, and the Nashville Predators are also in the mix. Edvinsson is training in Music City while he waits on a trade and a new contract.
The tension in both situations has been building, especially on the Larkin side, where there’s a feeling that a deal should already be done.
For now, though, Detroit and both players are still stuck in the same holding pattern. And with Edvinsson facing a December 1st deadline to play again this season, the clock is still ticking.
In Other News...
Red Wings Drama Around Dylan Larkin Just Got More Uncomfortable
Dylan Larkins situation has gone from awkward to impossible to ignore for the Red Wings. After signing an eight-year contract in 2023, he requested a trade over the summer and then left the team, which led to a suspension and only added to the uncertainty around one of the franchises most important players. The backdrop for all of it is the kind of tension that hangs over a team trying to stay focused while its captains future is suddenly in question.
The conversation got even louder when ESPN analyst Erik Johnson criticized players who ask out in the middle of a contract during a broadcast of a Red Wings game. Meanwhile, interim GM Shawn Horcoff said Detroit is open to trade offers for Larkin and defenseman Simon Edvinsson, though the club still wants to re-sign Edvinsson before the December 1 deadline. For a team already dealing with a messy Larkin storyline, that leaves plenty of room for more uncomfortable decisions ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings May Have Already Passed On A Massive Dylan Larkin Return
The idea of Dylan Larkin ever being moved out of Detroit has always carried a heavy dose of hypotheticals, but a new report suggests the Red Wings may have already been closer to that crossroads than many realized. Michael Russo reported that Minnesota put a significant offer on the table in June, and the package was said to be larger than the one now being discussed around Danila Yurov and multiple first-round picks.
Larkins no-trade clause still gives him control over where any conversation can go, and he has expanded his approved list to 10 teams, including the Wild. Neither side has confirmed the specifics of the earlier offer, and there is no sign a deal is close, but the report alone is enough to remind Red Wings fans how much interest there is in their captain and how delicate any future trade discussion would be. [Read more 🡒]
Ex-Red Wing Jake Walman Is Back In A Familiar Babcock Mess
Jake Walmans latest stop has taken a familiar turn. The former Red Wings defenseman is now in Edmonton, where coach Mike Babcock has made him a healthy scratch for six of the last eight games even though Walman remains the Oilers second-highest paid defenseman. It is a jarring spot for a player who has been trying to carve out a regular role and instead has found himself watching from the press box more often than he expected.
Walman has appeared in 11 games this season, but the usage has been thin and the results have not helped his cause, with a minus-5 rating over his last five games. For Detroit followers, the pattern feels awfully recognizable: a player starts out well, earns trust, and then seems to drift out of favor under Babcock. It is the same old question with a new jersey, and for Walman, the answer still feels unresolved. [Read more 🡒]