The Montreal Canadiens are still in the Dylan Larkin hunt, and the list of teams the Detroit Red Wings captain would consider has apparently gotten longer.
According to David Pagnotta, Montreal remains squarely in the mix, with the latest update coming only a day after the scenes at the Bell Centre. Multiple sources have confirmed that the Canadiens are still pressing hard, and Larkin has reportedly added a few teams to his list, which now sits somewhere between eight and 10 clubs.
Larkin, 30, holds a no-trade clause, so he controls where he’d be willing to land. Pagnotta also said the other teams in play include Los Angeles and Boston, though he doesn’t know where things stand with those two clubs.
Frank Seravalli had previously reported that Larkin’s list did not include any of the seven Canadian franchises, and he also said Montreal had shifted its focus toward the Red Wings captain.
The uncertainty around the list hasn’t slowed the Canadiens down. They continue to push, even as the exact teams Larkin may have added remain unknown.
Detroit’s situation only adds to the intrigue. The Red Wings are 1-3-1, Larkin has two points in three games, and the team is scoring just 2.0 goals per game while allowing 3.0. Seravalli also reported that Simon Edvinsson is among the players looking for trades.
For Montreal, the fit is easy to imagine. Adding Larkin’s $8.7 million cap hit to a roster led by Nick Suzuki, who already has seven points, would be a major swing. It’s the kind of move that explains why Kent Hughes keeps pushing.
Nothing has been confirmed about Larkin’s updated list, and the Canadiens are still waiting to see whether the door opens any wider. But after last night’s chants at the Bell Centre, maybe the noise is starting to matter.
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For Montreal, that kind of framework matters because it hints at how steep the market would be before the Canadiens even get to the hardest part of the equation. Kent Hughes can check in, but the real obstacle may be getting Larkin's side to view Montreal as the right landing spot, and until that changes, the Canadiens are stuck watching a chase that looks expensive long before it looks realistic. [Read more 🡒]
