The Detroit Red Wings' offseason has not been short on storylines. The big storyline so far this offseason was team captain Dylan Larkin requesting a trade after 11 seasons in Detroit. While Larkin provided just four teams on his trade wishlist, general manager Steve Yzerman wasn't budging off of his high asking price. Then, things only got more wild, as Yzerman stepped down from his role, and the team announced they would search for a new head of hockey operations.
So, how far along are the Red Wings in their search for Yzerman's replacement? Are they any closer to reaching a resolution in the Larkin trade saga? The answer to both of those questions, are no.
The Athletic's Max Bultman released an article detailing their search for a new general manager. Bultman revealed that the Red Wings are "still pretty early in the process" of finding Yzerman's replacement. Even with Larkin's status with the team still uncertain, the Red Wings are still going to take their time to find a head of hockey operations.
Red Wings appear to be in no rush to solve Dylan Larkin uncertainty
"But my sense is that Detroit is focused on conducting a thorough search, and that’s going to take time. The Red Wings aren’t going to compromise the process for the sake of speed," writes Bultman.
"While there is some important business that needs to get done — restricted free agent Simon Edvinsson needs a new contract, and the Dylan Larkin saga remains unresolved — one difference in Detroit’s search taking place now, rather than at the start of the offseason, is that the Red Wings don’t have to worry about any other teams scooping up a potential candidate. They’re the only team in the market."
So, the Red Wings are taking their time finding who they feel is the right person to run their front office. As Bultman mentions, they are the only team in search for a head of hockey operations, so they can take their time. Even with the uncertainty of Larkin, they are in no rush until they hire who they think is the right candidate.
It's already known that Larkin only provided four trade destinations to the Red Wings, and they are the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, and Dallas Stars. Neither of those teams made an offer that Yzerman deemed was strong enough.
Now with Yzerman out of the picture, is the team trying to get back in Larkin's good graces? It's known that Larkin and Yzerman had a strained relationship dating back to their contract negotiations in 2023. With Yzerman taking on a lesser role in the organization, will that be enough to convince Larkin to stay? That all depends on him, and ultimately when he speaks with the new head of hockey operations, whoever that is. If he still wants to be traded, would Larkin expand his trade list?
Red Wings fans have already waited a decent amount of time for some sort of solution to the Larkin saga, as frustrating as it might be. Unfortunately for them, there probaly isn't going to be a resolution any time soon. As of now, their search for Yzerman's replacement is nowhere near close to being completed.
Add us as a preferred source on Google