Dylan Larkin wouldn’t be opposed to playing in Canada

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Dylan Larkin wouldn’t be opposed to playing in Canada
Credit: Capture d'écran / X

Yesterday was full of rumors.

Matthew Knies, Alexis Lafrenière, Dylan Strome, Tom Wilson: several players have been the subject of reports in recent hours. It's a sign that summer is approaching…

Darnell Nurse has also been the subject of speculation, as he could be leaving Edmonton.

But the name that has grabbed everyone's attention is Dylan Larkin. The fact that he's asking the Red Wings for a trade is huge, game-changing news.

After all, a center of that caliber on the market is… something else.

Obviously, Steve Yzerman (who won't let anyone walk all over him) isn't going to give up his center—who's under contract for $8.7 million a year through 2031—to just anyone.

It doesn't work that way.

But to drive up the price, he shouldn't shut the door on teams in his division. At least that's how Craig Button, who has discussed the topic, sees it. He wasn't afraid to make moves within his division back in the day.

That's why Button recommends that Kent Hughes call Detroit three times a day to find out the price tag for prying the Red Wings' captain away.

Of course, we don't know if Larkin, who is in control of his own destiny via his no-trade clause, would want to come to Montreal. The American might prefer to stay in the States.

On that note, Marco D'Amico (BPM Sports) believes that Larkin, who has family in Canada, wants to win above all else. And if that means joining a Canadian team, we can read between the lines that it wouldn't necessarily be a deal-breaker—though that doesn't mean Larkin would definitely say yes.

Kent Hughes needs to make a move, then.

He has the means to overpay if he wants to and if he feels that Larkin is THE piece that would allow the team to take it to the next level—namely, competing for the Stanley Cup. Even if it means trading Michael Hage…

And since Steve Yzerman can't afford to mess up a Larkin trade, listening to what the team with one of the deepest prospect pools has to say makes… sense.

That said, nothing is forcing him to trade his captain to Montreal if he doesn't want to.


In a nutshell

– Ouch.

– Oh yeah?

– Message from Ivan Demidov.

– Well done.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!