Detroit’s scouting trail kept rolling Sunday, with assistant general manager Kris Draper taking in the Boston Bruins-Vegas Golden Knights game the night before as the Red Wings continued to keep tabs on multiple teams.
One of the names drawing attention around the league is Columbus Blue Jackets forward Dmitri Voronkov. Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reported that Blue Jackets GM Don Waddell confirmed he is taking calls on Voronkov, who is a pending RFA with a $4.18 million cap hit.
“There’s some interest, but nobody is making any offers,” Waddell said. “We’ll keep talking about it.
I talked to a few teams already (Sunday) morning. We’ll keep talking.
“He’s got so much to offer. A change of scenery for a lot of guys can be really beneficial. But we’re not close enough on anything where I’d say we’re ready to pull the trigger.”
If Columbus does move Voronkov, the return could come in the form of prospects and/or draft picks, while also creating some salary cap relief. The Blue Jackets’ situation on defense is also worth watching.
With Ivan Provorov back from injury, the blue line is a little crowded, and the club may look to move a defenseman. Carson Soucy is in the AHL as insurance if that happens.
Elsewhere, Minnesota’s situation with Quinn Hughes came up on The Sheet with Jeff Marek. Michael Russo was asked whether there’s any scenario in which the Wild keep Hughes past the trade deadline without an extension in place.
Marek asked, “Is there any world in which, even if Quinn Hughes doesn’t sign, they just keep him?
Russo replied, “You know, if you think that this team has a legitimate chance once (Brock) Faber’s back, and what other business Bill does in advance of the trade deadline. Maybe it’s Larkin, maybe somebody else.
If you think you have a chance in this, in this conference in particular, to get to the Final and then actually win the Cup. I think that you do take that, that chance and maybe that changes its mind.”
In Other News...
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Detroit, meanwhile, has tried to keep moving. The team responded to Larkins suspension without pay by winning a game and making it clear his absence will not linger in the room as players focus on the next stretch of the season. Even so, the fact that a rival player felt compelled to speak up only underscores how much attention this situation is drawing around the league. [Read more 🡒]
Dylan Larkin Trade Talks Just Hit A Massive Red Wings Roadblock
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The clause matters because Larkin can approve a move only to a limited group of teams, and Buffalo is not on that list. Montreal is also among the clubs with interest, and the situation is still fluid enough that his approved destinations could change soon, leaving Detroit in a holding pattern until there is clarity on whether the list gets updated. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Are Chasing A Star As The NHL Trade Market Shifts
The NHL trade market has started to tilt toward star power, and Detroits Dylan Larkin is right in the middle of the conversation. Buffalo has shown interest in the Red Wings captain, but for now the idea of him landing there remains a nonstarter, which keeps the focus on how much leverage Detroit actually has if the market keeps heating up around top-line centers.
Elsewhere, Nikita Kucherov has put his own situation into the open after explaining why he asked out of Tampa Bay, adding another major name to a market already drawing attention from teams like Toronto and Montreal. He still has not identified preferred destinations, which leaves plenty of room for speculation and keeps the ripple effects moving for clubs trying to gauge what kind of trade landscape they are really dealing with. [Read more 🡒]