The Detroit Red Wings are still in the same spot with Dylan Larkin, and nothing in the market has pushed them off it.
Two months have passed since Larkin asked for a trade, and according to Helene St. James, he still has not broadened his list beyond the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights.
Detroit, meanwhile, is holding firm on what it wants back: “value-now players” for Larkin. So far, the offers that have come in haven’t moved the needle.
Elsewhere in the NHL rumor mill, the conversation turned to how the Philadelphia Flyers might have made the Leo Carlsson offer sheet even tougher for the Anaheim Ducks to match.
On The Sheet with Jeff Marek, Steve Werier was asked whether Philadelphia could have added another layer to the deal through the bonus structure. Marek put it this way: “If you were the Philadelphia Flyers then, in retrospect, if you wanted to throw another poison pill into this one, could you have done it with the bonus structure. And if so, how?
Werier’s answer centered on timing, not just money. He said he would not have tried to “bully Henry and the ducks” with a $40 million front-loaded structure, adding, “I don’t think Henry gets bullied by that. I don’t think the Ducks get bullied by that in the end.”
Instead, Werier said he would have moved the year-two signing bonus to the day after the 2027-28 trade deadline, something allowed under the CBA. In his view, that would have changed the pressure point entirely.
As Werier explained, the current setup would let Anaheim point to a player on a $1 million salary in 2027-28 and shop him to teams like Winnipeg or Columbus. But if that bonus were pushed to after the deadline, the burden would shift to the acquiring club: “here’s a great player, but you own $18 million cash.”
In Other News...
Tyson Foerster Just Sent Flyers Fans A Powerful Message
Tyson Foersters new deal gives the Flyers a little more clarity about where one of their young core pieces sees his future. The winger signed an eight-year extension worth $56.8 million that begins in the 2027-28 season, and in a media interview he made it clear he is embracing the long view in Philadelphia. He spoke warmly about the city and the fan base, while also expressing confidence in the direction the organization is headed under general manager Danny Brire.
Foerster also sounded like a player using the offseason to sharpen both his body and his game after a year that included injury recovery and plenty of reflection. He said he is focused on improving specific parts of his play, which matters for a Flyers team that is trying to build on last season rather than simply repeat it. The bigger question now is how quickly that belief turns into results, because Foersters comments suggested a team that expects more and a player eager to grow into a bigger role right along with it. [Read more 🡒]
Danny Briere Just Sent A Stunning Message About The Flyers Rebuild
Danny Briere has made it clear the Flyers are not content to sit still in their rebuild, and the latest move only underscores how aggressive Philadelphia is willing to be. By going after a young restricted free agent in Anaheim, the front office is signaling that it wants to accelerate the process rather than wait for the roster to grow into contention on its own.
It is also the kind of swing that comes with real consequences, both in cap management and in the draft-pick cost that would follow if the deal is not matched. For a team trying to climb back into relevance, that is the balancing act Briere is now embracing, even if it means putting pressure on future roster decisions and inviting a much bigger conversation about how the Flyers plan to build from here. [Read more 🡒]