Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen issues Red Wings grades in an assortment of categories this morning, and some grades are better than others:
Handling Larkin Situation
Essentially, the Red Wings are in the same place they were at when Dylan Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, informed the Red Wings his client would like to be traded.
Larkin has a no-trade clause and there are conflicting reports about how many teams he is willing to accept as a final destination.
What we know: The Florida Panthers have no interest in giving up young center Anton Lundell, plus they don’t have other desirable assets they are willing to move. They are the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They have no urgency to deal for Larkin. A Minnesota Wild source tells us that they don’t believe they have the assets to make a Larkin deal. (One report said the Red Wings would take Matthew Boldy in a Larkin deal, but the Wild are not interested). There’s no trade fit with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Yzerman’s position is that he’s not going to accept the best deal he can make unless it’s fair for the Red Wings organization. Yzerman doesn’t want futures. He seeks players who can help him now. He’s not looking for three first round picks, knowing that the probability of landing a regular with a pick after No. 16 is just over 50 percent
He’s certainly willing to trade Larkin, but he’s also willing to wait until he receives a more desirable return. Yzerman may be best served by patience. However, make no mistake: The Red Wings house is messier than it was because of the Larkin drama. And no matter what happens, it will be untidy for a while.
Grade on Larkin Position: B–
And Allen reflects Max Bultman’s take on the Red Wings’ playoff chances:
Red Wings Outlook
Some Red Wings fans might still cling hope that Patrick Kane is coming back, but it seems more likely this morning that he isn’t.
Also, look around the Atlantic Division, you see the Florida Panthers reloading, the Toronto Maple Leafs aggressively improving their team. The Tampa Bay Lightning added puck-moving defenseman John Carlson. Metropolitan teams, such as Washington and the New York Rangers, made changes.
Waiting for a fair deal for Larkin may be the right move for the Red Wings. But it is a negative weight on the organization. It creates uncertainty. If Kane leaves, it adds to the negativity.
Summer grade for playoff chances: D+
- I don’t know how the Wings could handle the Larkin situation better, other than to have already traded him. The Wings are going to “lose” any trade in which Larkin is the best player involved in said trade, but they can at least lose with some dignity via acquiring strong assets in return;
- And I’m not willing to give up on the Wings’ chances of at least earning a Wild Card spot given the state of the roster at 10 AM on July 2nd.
