Thursday’s news revealing that the Detroit Red Wings had suspended Dylan Larkin for refusing to play until a trade happens is actually a great thing for the organization.
On the surface, the holdout is meant to pressure interim GM Shawn Horcoff to push the pedal to the metal and get a deal across the finish line.
But in reality, the situation alleviates a great deal of pressure for the Red Wings.
Let’s start with the obvious element. There had been plenty of talk about the risk of Larkin playing through trade talk. The biggest fear, as Elliotte Friedman rightfully pointed out on the Thursday edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast is that a major injury could have significantly impact trade discussions.
That risk prompted talk of the Red Wings potentially scratching Dylan Larkin for roster management purposes. However, his holdout actually precluded the organization’s need to make that move.
In the process, there is actually a financial benefit for Detroit. Larkin will now forfeit about $41,000 per day while he sits out.
In what universe is that a pressure tactic for Detroit? Larkin’s camp has actually given the Red Wings a legitimate reason not to pay him.
Talk about getting priorities mixed up.
Red Wings have much more runway to trade Dylan Larkin
Getting Dylan Larkin off the ice gives the Red Wings much more runway to trade him. The risk of injury is now moot. Plus, Horcoff can just take his sweet time figuring out a deal.
After all, is Larkin’s holdout actually costing the Red Wings anything?
While there are negative optics surrounding the situation. But then again, could the PR nightmare for the Wings get any worse? Short of the entire team walking out in protest of the Larkin situation, the bottom line is that the overall impact on the organization’s image is negligible.
Lastly, teams bidding for Dylan Larkin don’t really have an incentive to get a deal done immediately. Since he’s not playing, interested parties can breathe a sigh of relief and focus on making the best deal for their respective organizations.
Unlike the Winnipeg Jets with Connor Hellebuyck, the Red Wings don’t have an upcoming event like the Heritage Classic acting as a de facto deadline. And since Larkin already played this season, the Red Wings don’t have the threat that Hellebuyck used in Winnipeg.
When this situation is over, Dylan Larkin will become a case study for players and agents on how not to handle these types of situations.
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