Could the Montreal Canadiens pull off a Dylan Larkin trade by working the Red Wings backward? That’s the idea Elliotte Friedman floated on the latest 32 Thoughts Podcast, and it’s the kind of move that only makes sense if you’re willing to start with Detroit, not Larkin himself.
The wrinkle, of course, is that Montreal is not on Larkin’s current preferred list, and Friedman said he is not sure the Canadiens are one of the 10 teams on it. So the Canadiens can’t just walk up to Larkin and expect him to nod along.
They’d need to hand Detroit an offer strong enough to get the Red Wings talking first. In other words, Montreal would have to make the deal appealing enough that Detroit approaches Larkin and asks whether he’d be open to it.
The hope, Friedman suggested, is simple: if nobody else has stepped forward with a legitimate trade option, Larkin might look at the one in front of him and decide it beats waiting around for something that may never materialize.
Friedman said this kind of arrangement has worked before. As he put it:
“What has also happened is managers have said, ‘Look, you’re not on the list, but you may have something I want. And if you can, if you give me something that I like or a deal that I would be willing to make, if you can convince me to go to a player, because a deal is good, I’ll do that.’”
That would put the ball in Red Wings GM Shawn Horcoff’s hands, at least initially. If Montreal’s offer is strong enough, Horcoff could go to Larkin’s camp and pitch the idea.
But that still would not settle anything.
Even if Detroit likes the framework, Larkin still has to waive his no-trade clause. That remains the real barrier, and Friedman was clear that if Larkin has no interest in Montreal, then no package from the Canadiens is going to change the outcome.
Still, Friedman thinks there’s at least a path where Larkin’s stance could soften. He pointed to the Red Wings’ visit to Montreal, where fans in the building chanted, “We want Larkin!” and said, “That game moved the needle,”
There are different reads on where Larkin stands. Some believe he could be open to the Canadiens. Others think Montreal only becomes realistic if every other option disappears and he reaches the point where he feels he cannot repair things with the Red Wings.
So the Canadiens’ bet would be on urgency from both sides. Friedman compared it to the Connor Hellebuyck situation, where there eventually came a point when the team decided it needed to move on and could not keep dragging the situation out.
The question now is whether the Red Wings have reached that point with Larkin. Since he is still playing, Friedman left open the idea that maybe they have not.
Nothing sounds close right now, but the theory is there: Montreal could be the team that gets the conversation started.
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The Canadiens are still working the phones as they look into a possible trade for Dylan Larkin, and the wrinkle is as familiar as it is significant: Detroit would have to be persuaded before anything else can really move. Larkins no-trade clause gives him the final say, which means Montreal would need to assemble an offer strong enough to get the Red Wings to even broach the subject with their captain.
From Montreals side, that is the real challenge, not just identifying a player who could fit. The interest is there, but the path is a lot more complicated than a simple deadline rumor, especially with the kind of leverage Larkin holds and the reality that he is not exactly a comfortable destination fit at the moment. [Read more 🡒]
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The comment that really set things off came when Caufield described the Canadiens as Canadas favorite team, a line that quickly made the rounds on social media and even drew attention from ESPNs Greg Wyshynski. It was the kind of offhand remark that travels fast in Montreal, especially when the schedule is about to tighten again with games against the Blues and Stars on deck, and it left plenty of people reading a little deeper into what he meant. [Read more 🡒]