The NHL's offseason is a time of speculation. With little in terms of news coming in, it's a time for insiders and would-be insiders to throw out their theories for what could be coming down the pipeline. This is especially true in the case of the Detroit Red Wings, who have one of the most notoriously tight-lipped front offices in the NHL.
This time around - and to no one's surprise - speculation season revolves around trades.
Bleacher Report's Lyle Richardson compiled a list of who he believes are the top trade candidates in the NHL today. Two Red Wings - Dylan Larkin and Alex DeBrincat - made the list. Surprisingly enough, though, neither Larkin nor DeBrincat were considered top-three trade candidates.
No updates on the DeBrincat front
Richardson, like most NHL reporters, has little in terms of updates when it comes to both DeBrincat and Larkin. That said, he believes that the possibility of a DeBrincat trade is very much still up in the air despite what his camp has indicated.
"On July 27, Bob Duff of Detroit Hockey Now felt that DeBrincat would stay put if the Wings offered him fair market value on his next contract, citing the winger's Michigan ties," said Richardson. "Time will tell about that. For now, however, his future with the Red Wings will be worth monitoring as this season progresses."
In other words, Richardson has no definitive answer on DeBrincat's future in Detroit.
Still, if the high-scoring forward's camp is to be believed, fans should rest easy knowing there's an extremely strong chance the Farmington Hills native sticks around for the long run.
Larkin left just outside top trade candidates
Perhaps the long, drawn out drama between Larkin and the Red Wings has cooled his value. Or perhaps the Red Wings' slow search for a new general manager has stalled talks a bit. It could very well be both. No matter the reason, Larkin's fallen somewhat in the trade rankings. He now trails behind Alexander Nikishin of the Carolina Hurricanes, Shane Wright of the Seattle Kraken, Kirill Marchenko of the Columbus Blue Jackets and fellow Team USA teammate Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets.
This doesn't mean Larkin is somehow less valuable, though. A top-line, consistent 30-goal center is going to net a huge return no matter where he goes. That said, it's likely that this tumultuous offseason has left trade talks in limbo. According to Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic, Yzerman's departure as general manager has stalled the Wild in terms of negotiations.
"The biggest issue for the Wild isn’t that the news kills a Larkin trade. It’s that it removes whatever momentum there was toward one," Russo and Smith state. "Detroit suddenly has every reason to pause, let a new executive settle in, meet with Larkin and reassess before making arguably the biggest decision the franchise has made in years."
If the Wild hope to make a deal for Larkin, they're going to have to go back to the drawing board with the new general manager.
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