It was an awkward night in Detroit Tuesday as Dylan Larkin took the ice in front of a Red Wings home crowd for the first time since requesting to be traded. The center was booed by the Little Caesars Arena crowd the first time he touched the puck, but he quickly turned those jeers into cheers when he scored 13 minutes into the Wings’ 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
“It was a lot of emotions,” Larkin told Detroit SportsNet following the game. “But I think I’m just happy to be a hockey player today and go out and try to help the team win. We’ve got a good group of guys in there that battled hard, and we needed this win today. That was most important.”
The positive vibes are likely temporary as Larkin has not rescinded his trade request.
Below, we will look at the latest buzz involving Larkin trade destinations.
Dylan Larkin to Florida Panthers trade rumors
Larkin reportedly listed the Panthers as one of the teams he was most interested in joining when he initially made his trade request to the Red Wings’ front office.
Larkin to the Panthers gained even more steam on October 1 when Florida center Aleksander Barkov was injured against San Jose. Barkov was placed on longterm injured reserve.
So, this makes too much sense NOT to happen, right?
Ehhh … not exactly.
Larkin’s contract carries an $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31 and the Panthers are right near the salary cap ceiling. Barkov’s return also factors into this scenario in a major way as Barkov is “only” expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Had Barkov been out for the entire season, the Panthers would have received significant cap relief and would have been able to fit Larkin’s contract.
Dylan Larkin to Montreal Canadiens trade rumors
Larkin reportedly had an initial list of trade destinations that included the Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights.
With Detroit not being able to make a deal yet, Larkin reportedly expanded that list to include the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, and Washington Capitals.
We may be inching closer to Larkin expanding that list yet again, and it could include the Montreal Canadiens. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, the Habs have turned their attention towards acquiring Larkin.
“Larkin could end this saga tomorrow if he added the Canadiens to his list,” an anonymous NHL front-office executive told Seravalli. “Who cares if they’re in the same division? They are the one team with a chance to contend that can also give Detroit what it wants for Larkin.”
Dylan Larkin to the Minnesota Wild trade rumors
As mentioned above, Larkin reportedly would welcome a trade to the Wild.
The holdup here is that there are whispers that Detroit is not exactly in love with the young players that Minnesota would send them in return, namely 22-year-old right wing Danila Yurov. Yurov is poised to have a breakout campaign, however, with Kirill Kaprizov as his running mate.
If Yurov starts putting up big numbers and proves to Detroit that he can be an offensive force, then maybe the Red Wings will budge.
Yurov has 1 goal and 1 assist in 3 games so far this season.
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