The Canadiens have a couple of young names sitting right in the middle of the Dylan Larkin chatter, and both could be part of the conversation if Montreal decides to push harder.
Recent reporting has linked Michael Kapanen and Adam Engstrom to the trade noise, with two sources confirming the Canadiens were recently showcasing them in front of Kris Draper in St. Louis.
That alone is enough to turn heads, but Martin St. Louis added more fuel when he inserted Engstrom into the lineup in place of Arber Xhekaj, who had been playing some very good hockey.
If Montreal is looking for a path into the Larkin sweepstakes, those two players make sense on paper. Engstrom, 22, has one assist in seven games, with his first point of the season coming in Dallas, and he’s carrying a +3 rating. Kapanen, 23, has been held scoreless in six games.
Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts that Montreal should flip the usual process and go straight to Detroit. Pierre LeBrun reported that Larkin has not added the Canadiens to his list of ten approved teams, and that list has not changed. The idea, then, is for the Canadiens to negotiate directly with the Red Wings, let Detroit take the finished deal to Larkin, and see whether he gives the final nod.
That route has picked up some steam for two reasons, according to Friedman: the loud welcome Larkin received at the Bell Centre, where fans chanted his name, and Larkin’s desire to finally get the situation resolved.
Detroit is also said to be looking for young centers, which gives Montreal a possible opening through a player like Kapanen. Yesterday, Shawn Horcoff confirmed that talks had taken place with teams on Larkin’s list, along with teams outside of it.
Larkin, 30, has six points in ten games and carries an $8.7 million cap hit. Darren Dreger has already mentioned a possible package built around two prospects, a first-round pick, and a top-nine forward.
Montreal, meanwhile, keeps rolling. The Canadiens are 8-3-2, have won four straight, and will host Pittsburgh tomorrow at 7 p.m.
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Canadiens May Be Getting Boxed Out Of Dylan Larkin Sweepstakes
Dylan Larkin remains one of the bigger names to watch as Detroit works through a tense standoff with the center, but the Canadiens are not sitting in an obvious spot in the chase. Montreal has been linked to the trade discussion as the Red Wings keep talking with multiple clubs, yet Larkin has not expanded his preferred destination list, leaving the Canadiens outside the group he is known to want.
That matters because the market for centers is already thin, with Ryan O'Reilly and Mark Scheifele among the other names being floated. For Montreal, it leaves an important question hanging over the rest of the trade chatter: whether the Canadiens can stay involved long enough to matter, or whether this is another sweepstakes they are watching from the outside. [Read more 🡒]