Via 97.1 the Ticket…
The big question now is how the Red Wings proceed with Dylan Larkin and his trade request.
“It’s tough to get a sense of when (they’ll make a move) because Yzerman doesn’t really give those tells to anybody, but there is an expectation that he’s going to get it done,” NHL reporter Emily Kaplan said Friday night. “I know Steve has told teams that have called about Larkin, ‘We’ll send him to camp next year. He’s under contract. We’re not under pressure to make this trade.’
“But when you have a captain that’s unhappy, that wants to move on, it behooves you to do it. And they could get a bounty in return. If you look at some of these trades we’ve seen this offseason, we’re talking about multiple first-round picks, franchise-altering stuff.”
Just on Friday night, the Ducks sent young center Mason McTavish to the Blues for two first-round picks; McTavish scored 41 points last season and has a career-high of 22 goals. Earlier this week, the Senators sent winger Brady Tkachuk to the Panthers for three first-round picks and a second-rounder.
Larkin, a center in his prime coming off his fifth straight 30-goal season who’s under contract for five more years, should have more trade value than both of them.
And me:
Update: Here’s the Free Press’s Helene St. James’ update:
Still quiet on the Dylan Larkin front
There were trades sending veterans across the league the day of the draft and in the days leading up to it, but things remained quiet on the Dylan Larkin front. The Wings’ captain has requested a trade to a contender; that news emerged on June 4. Neither side has commented on the situation.
Larkin has a no-trade clause, so he holds power over where he goes – the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights top his list – but general manager Steve Yzerman does not have to trade Larkin, who has five years left at a $8.7 million cap hit. Essentially the Wings would need a player like Larkin in return: A top-line center (they are thin down the middle) who can play in all situations.