Under the eye of General Manager Steve Yzerman, the Detroit Red Wings have been surrounded by a cloud of mystery when it comes to trade talks. That is by design. The front office has kept a tight ship in regards to anything leaking out to the media or public, leaving fans to hang on the hopes that other organizations reveal talks that they may or may not have had with Detroit. The problem with this is that rumors run wild anytime a star player is publicly put on the trade block. And that is what we have in the situation developing in Vancouver. It seems inevitable that either J.T. Miller or Elias Petterson will be dealt before the trade deadline.
After a terrible start of the season under head coach Derek Lalonde, the growing sentiment in Detroit was that even after the hiring of Todd Mclellan, more needed to change. A move needed to be made to shake up the roster and fully light that fire under the guys in the locker room. So naturally, when stars like Petterson or Miller become available, every GM makes their way to the front counter and gets a price check. I am here to stop that conversation before it even begins.
No, this is not because The Red Wings are riding hot with a six-game win streak. If you have a way to make your team better, then formula be damned, make the move. The streak will not last forever, nor will the lineup stay the same night in and night out. If someone has to depart the team, the vibes on the bench should not make too much of a hit.
The real reason that I want to push back on the idea of acquiring either of these players is because of what Steve Yzerman has shown while conducting the “Yzer-plan.” Both Pettersson and Miller would require a young prospect or possibly even two in a package deal to acquire. Yzerman has always kept the course with the young talent in the organization and building through the draft. To dismantle all of that while they are all so close to being pro-ready would set back the long-term success of the franchise for a couple of years of an offensive bump.
In the case of Elias Petterson, trading for him would cost quite literally the future of the team. However, even more important than that, he would immediately become the highest-paid player on the Detroit roster. It may seem petty for teammates to care about cap percentages, but in the case of the Red Wings, it seems clear that there truly is a Dylan Larkin cap. After signing his extension with a cap hit of 8.7 AAV, Yzerman has worked with his players to stay under that number, even with the league cap increase.
We saw this in the extensions of two of the most important young players on the roster: Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. Admittedly, this is all conjecture, but it seems hard to believe that was not brought up in both of those contract talks. If both of these young stars took that into account, it would be a punch to the gut for that same GM to go out and bring someone in who makes roughly $3 million dollars a year more than their captain. Could the “Larkin Cap” be a major part of the “Yzerplan” to keep from inflating spending on 1 or 2 players? I believe so.
Per @FriedgeHNIC, it's believed that Dylan Cozens is the player that Steve Yzerman was/is targeting in a potential Red Wings/Sabres trade. #LGRW
— Winged Wheel Podcast (@WingedWheelPod) January 8, 2025
Thoughts on Cozens & what it would take to acquire him? ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/bwr444DFp4
Larkin's Contract Could Actually Save The Overspending On Veterans
With all that being said, the news of Yzerman being interested in Dylan Cozens only cements my feelings on how Yzerman wants to improve the team. It makes perfect sense. The cost for someone like Cozens would be much cheaper and he also falls under the $8.7 million cap. Detroit has been trying to fill the 2nd line center position with someone who can complement Larkin’s top line.
Copp, Compher, and Veleno all tried and failed. Kasper has potential but lacks the offensive ability of Cozens. In a year where more and more people are getting restless with Yzerman, it is a hard ask to continue to be patient and wait for Nate Danielson to make the jump to a full-time NHLer and play the top 6 minutes. Buffalo is in a downward spiral but has a cupboard full of young talent with which they can part to fill holes elsewhere. Although Cozens has a slight regression in counting stats, he is still a former, consistent half-point-per-game player who could use a change of scenery. If he were to be put on a line with Alex Debrincat and Patrick Kane, it would be hard for him not to reach those numbers, if not exceed them.