In the middle of a day filled with “hypothetical” columns, Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen discusses whether Dylan Larkin’s relationship with the Red Wings can be salvaged:
All of this talk about whether Larkin’s trade request makes it impossible to stay in Detroit is misguided. We all know that whoever is named Detroit’s Director of Hockey Operations will call Larkin and see if he can change Larkin’s mind.
If the new Detroit boss doesn’t call him, then this person wasn’t the right person for the job. We are not past the point of a no-return. Not even close. America loves stories of athletes extracting themselves from things said or did to achieve sports glory. We have plenty of examples.
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Maybe Larkin won’t change his mind. But let’s not close that door quite yet. Part of the new Director of Hockey Operations salvage operation may be to win back Larkin because he knows the Red Wings won’t get a desirable return in the trade market.
Fans may boos Larkin to start the season, but winning cures plenty of problems. If Larkin continues to score 30-plus goals per season and the Red Wings started winning, Detroit fans won’t boo him long. Fans love a good redemption story.
But here is what we do know:
First, If there was a good return for Larkin available in the three- or four-team marketplace, Yzerman would have already made a deal by now. If the Red Wings have to take futures for Larkin and lose Kane, this team is going to take another step backward. And fans will boo longer than they would boo Larkin.
Continued; I believe that Larkin is indeed out the door, but that’s my most educated guess…
