The Canadiens’ pursuit of Dylan Larkin has already gone farther than many around the league realized.
According to Maxime Truman, Montreal and Detroit actually had a trade in place this summer before Larkin used his no-trade clause to stop it. Renaud Lavoie said on BPM Sports that a move to the Canadiens is still on the table and that there’s even a real chance Larkin could change his mind.
That leaves Montreal in a strange holding pattern. The team clearly wants help down the middle, and Larkin remains the name at the center of the conversation.
Lavoie also said Larkin has nothing against Montreal. Quite the opposite, in fact.
That point has been repeated several times over the past week, which is enough to keep hope alive for Canadiens fans.
The bigger question is what comes next if Larkin stays put in Detroit.
Montreal’s second-line center issue is still there. Alex Newhook has been handling that job for now, but he has four points in seven games and a minus-2 rating. Nick Suzuki is still carrying the load at the top of the lineup.
Larkin is the target, but he isn’t the only possibility. Even so, the longer this drags on, the more pressure builds on Montreal to solve the problem.
Detroit, meanwhile, has no urgent reason to force the issue. The Red Wings are 2-3-2 and not expected to be in serious playoff contention, so they can afford to wait.
The Canadiens can’t really say the same. They’re 3-3-1, and every game without a dependable second-line center is another chance slipping by to strengthen a young core that still needs the right pieces around it.
The chants at the Bell Centre last Saturday made one thing obvious: Canadiens fans want Larkin in Montreal badly. Whether that noise helps sway him is another story.
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