What Would A Contract Extension Look Like for Dylan Larkin?

What Will Dylan Larkin’s Extension Look Like?

Dylan Larkin is undoubtedly going to be a Red Wing for the upcoming season. Trading Larkin after every move they made this off-season would confuse just about every hockey fan in the world. I mean, the Red Wings are now in a spot that they could compete for a place in the wild card. I don’t think they can make the playoffs to the point that they would get in with ease, so that leaves the wild card.

So, looking ahead, what are the Red Wings going to do with Larkin? Going into this off-season, the Red Wings were originally hearing offers on the captain, but now things are different. So instead of potentially looking to trade him, he will now remain a Red Wing for this season. And that means a contract extension seems inevitable.

So, now this is where things get tricky. With $8,000,000 available in cap, the Red Wings aren’t without room. Except they do need to extend Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond as well. So, finding the cap space to sign him will be tricky. But not impossible. So here’s what I think an extension could look like for Larkin.

Contract A: 7yrs/$59,500,000($8,500,000 AAV(Front Loaded))

This contract would be built around the idea of back loading Seider and Raymond’s contracts. It gives the Red Wings some flexibility with Larkin in the later stages of his career. With age comes regression. Very rarely will someone be able to play for a long period of time and maintain a high level of play. So with this contract they would have the ability to restructure or need to clear cap space.

The reason Larkin would agree to this contract is nothing short of the longevity. Giving Larkin seven years in Detroit, the team he grew up rooting, it would take him into his mid 30s and would allow him to be a Red Wing for the majority of his career.

Contract B: 4yrs/$40,000,000($10,000,000 AAV)

This contract here I feel is the better option for both parties. Larkin would be paid in the top half of the league for four years, and the Red Wings would get to hold onto their captain till he’s 30 and then re-evaluate his talent and how long they want to continue holding onto him. If it were me, and this contract worked for both parties, this definitely seems like the way to go.

Time will tell what a contract will end up looking like for Dylan Larkin however, I feel these two options are pretty realistic.