Will the Red Wings Work a Three-Team Deal if they Trade Dylan Larkin?
Jim Biringer of NHLRumors.com, Two Guys and Hockey Talk and Full Press Media joined TSN Radio in Montreal on Monday and was asked about the situation with Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings. How many assets is GM Steve Yzerman looking to get in return for his top center?
Two Guys and Hockey Talk Transcriptions
Host: “Jim, we saw what Quinn Hughes went for, we saw what Brady Tkachuk went for. Now they’re not all identical, but when we look at a Dylan Larkin, if you’re Steve Yzerman, I think Dylan Larkin, just to be very generic, with a take, don’t bring contracts into this or anything. I think Dylan Larkin is a better ice hockey player than Brady Tkachuk is, but I don’t think he’s as good as Quinn Hughes. So, where is the reality? What should Steve Yzerman be expecting for this player?
Jim Biringer: “Well, he’s probably going to get a couple assets for this player, and I think looking at it, and when this first trade request came out, I pointed to the Matt Duchene situation years ago in Colorado, when Joe Sakic who was a general manager, he’s back as a general manager now, but he waited it out because he wanted roster players, he wanted some picks, he wanted three four assets for a player like Duchne, and that’s what Steve Yzerman wants.
He needs, he can’t turn the Detroit Red Wings into another rebuild, because if he does get futures and just draft picks, then there’s going to be an exodus from Detroit. What does that mean for Alex DeBrincat? What does that mean? I mean, Patrick Kane is a UFA, but there was a sense he was going to come back. Then they’re just going to turn it over to (Lucas) Raymond and (Mo) Seider.
They need to compete like the Ottawa Senators need to compete in that Atlantic Division. So three, four assets, a player that can help them now, a future player that can definitely help them and a couple of draft picks, and one of them has to be a first-round draft pick. That’s why I wouldn’t be shocked if Dylan Larkin gets traded to one of the teams he wants to go to.
Well, probably won’t be Florida now, but if you say he goes to Minnesota, does Minnesota try to get another team involved to get the assets Detroit needs? I think Brady Tkachuk is a great player, but I do agree with you, Simon, that Dylan Larkin is a better player, and I think if he got three first round draft picks, Larkins got to get at least two, and one of the prospects has to be equivalent to a first round draft pick if I’m Steve Yzerman, because they have to make the playoffs sooner rather than later, because they are heading into Buffalo Sabres territory.”
Two Guys and Hockey Talk Note: Here is the thing with Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings: Shawn Horcoff is the interim GM and isn’t looking to do a rebuild and get futures for the former Red Wings captain. If that were the case, former GM Steve Yzerman would have already made the deal with the Minnesota Wild.
That is the only team Larkin wants to go to. He wants to play with Quinn Hughes. But the Quinn Hughes signing domino has to fall first. Because what if he doesn’t extend with the Wild? What then for Larkin?
So given that Detroit wasn’t going to win a Dylan Larkin trade getting futures, the Red Wings remain in their position: they want NHL players in return. Detroit needs to remain competitive and get back to the playoffs. What message does it send to Lucas Raymond, Moritz Seider, Alex DeBrincat, and others on the team if they sell Larkin for futures?
The Larkin trade request played a role in Patrick Kane leaving for Chicago via free agency. Also, DeBrincat is entering the final year of his deal, and the Red Wings trade Larkin for a low-ball offer; what does that mean for him? He may want to leave despite forcing his way to Detroit and saying all the right things about wanting to stay.
If the Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers are decoys and the Minnesota Wild are the only option, Charlie Stramel and Danila Yurov will not cut it for the Red Wings number one center.
To make a deal like this work, a third team needs to be involved, and Larkin needs to expand his list if he truly wants out. He is at camp and injured, but he isn’t thrilled to be there. It is time to get creative.
