Dylan Larkin’s trade picture is getting a little wider, but not wide enough to give Canadiens fans much reason to celebrate just yet.
According to Renaud Lavoie, Larkin still has not added a Canadian team to his short list of preferred destinations, at least for now. He has, however, added another club to the mix, a small but notable shift in a situation that has been drawing plenty of attention.
That update takes some of the heat off the recent chatter linking Montreal to the Red Wings captain. Several analysts had floated the Canadiens as a possible landing spot, but Montreal still isn’t on Larkin’s list, and that remains the biggest roadblock for any potential deal involving the Canadiens.
Back in June and July, Larkin’s list reportedly included only three teams: the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild. All three are south of the border, which makes the lack of a Canadian option stand out even more.
For now, Larkin remains with the Detroit Red Wings despite his trade request, with training camp only two weeks away. He’s one of several players who asked out this summer, along with Connor Hellebuyck, Kirill Marchenko and Brady Tkachuk, among others.
There could also be another wrinkle on the horizon in Detroit. The Red Wings are expected to announce their new general manager next Monday or Tuesday, and that move could help make a possible trade easier to pull off.
For the moment, the situation is still very much in motion.
In Other News...
Canadiens May Have Found A Young Depth Forward Worth Watching
The Canadiens added another name to their depth mix this week, bringing in forward Brett Berard as part of a deal with the Rangers. At 23, Berard arrives with a little bit of NHL seasoning already on his resume, after spending parts of the last two seasons between New York and Hartford, where he showed a blend of offense and edge that tends to keep a player on the radar.
For Montreal, the appeal is less about immediate certainty than about whether Berard can keep building on that foundation. He is the sort of player who can make a case for more if his game translates cleanly at the next level, and if the Canadiens need reinforcements during the season, he looks like the kind of depth forward worth keeping close eye on. [Read more 🡒]
How Cole Caufield Became The Draft Gamble Calgary Fans Notice
Cole Caufields path to Montreal already had a little draft-day drama attached to it, and it is the kind of thing people around the Canadiens still remember when his name comes up. Selected 15th overall in the 2019 NHL Draft, he arrived with the reputation of a pure goal scorer and only sharpened it from there, first by tearing through the University of Wisconsin and winning the Hobey Baker Award in 2020-21 after a 30-goal, 31-game run.
Since turning pro, Caufield has given Montreal exactly the kind of finishing touch teams covet, and his production has helped turn that old draft gamble into a significant win. Over the last two NHL seasons, he has been the leagues top goal scorer, a stretch that makes it easy to see why opposing fans still circle that pick when they think about how the draft board unfolded. [Read more 🡒]
Brendan Gallaghers Montreal Era Is Officially Over
Brendan Gallaghers next chapter is already taking shape in Vancouver, but the transition has been anything but abrupt. After ending his long run with the Canadiens, the veteran forward has started settling in with the Canucks and is now at their training facilities, where he is beginning to fit into a new room and a new routine ahead of the upcoming season.
What makes the move notable from Montreals perspective is how much of Gallaghers identity was built there, even after the trade was completed early in the offseason. He still spent the summer training in Montreal, a reminder of how closely his career has been tied to the city, but now his focus shifts to helping Vancouver with the kind of leadership and culture he says he wants to bring. [Read more 🡒]