Sportsnet’s Ryan Dixon posted a list of the top unrestricted free agents going into the summer of 2023, and he reminds us that two Red Wings players need to sign contract extensions before all is said and done:
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings: Would the Michigan boy and team captain bolt just as things are starting to turn around? At some point, the guy who grew up cheering for Cup-winning clubs in Detroit is going to want some playoff action of his own beyond the five-game taste he got as a 19-year-old in 2016.
Larkin, who just turned 26 on July 30, would command all kinds of attention on the open market given what he’s achieved playing for subpar squads in Detroit. Still, it’s tough to imagine he doesn’t re-sign banking on the next chapter being far more enjoyable than the first seven years of his career.
Not included in Dixon’s list, of course, is one 27-year-old Tyler Bertuzzi, with whom the Red Wings also need to “fish or cut bait.”
