There’s so much speculation going on right now surrounding on-the-fence teams as the trade deadline approaches, and the Red Wings are one of them. If you were to ask me right now whether I can see the Wings snagging a playoff berth, it’d be a resounding yes.
They’ve just gotten too hot under Todd McLellan while the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens remain in the doldrums and the Boston Bruins continue to sink. Right now, the Ottawa Senators are their biggest threat in the division to challenge them for a wild card, and if they keep scoring, the Wings are your more complete team.
Sure, they’ll need to finish with a higher points total than all but one team in the Metropolitan Division to claim their playoff spot, but you get the gist. One can’t help but look at the Red Wings and love their chances. But that doesn’t mean they’ll move forward with their current crop of core players.
Red Wings have a star forward who’d be an excellent trade piece
Earlier today, Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press wrote a piece detailing why the Wings should move Larkin if they miss the playoffs. In this piece, Monarrez said, “The answer is simple, albeit hard to swallow for Wings fans: If the Wings miss the playoffs this season and the next, they should trade Larkin to a contender for his age 30 season. Because if the Wings miss the next two playoffs, that should be the end of Steve Yzerman’s tenure as general manager.
“That would mean another reset, if not a complete rebuild with a new direction under a new regime and a new coaching staff that would be Larkin’s fourth.”
I disagree, to an extent, with this statement. If the Wings miss the postseason again, this season, and not the next, do I think Steve Yzerman should go? Oh, absolutely. He’s had enough chances at this point and nothing came of it.
Should they trade Larkin in the offseason? This offseason, and not the next? Yep. But not because they’ll go through another rebuilding effort. Yeah, get rid of Yzerman if they miss, but keep the core that’s been brewing for a while. At the same time, move those who are older and bring in even more younger talent to really, really fuel what would be the next era of Red Wings hockey starting in 2025-26, not 2026-27.
Moving Larkin this offseason would give the Wings a ransom of assets
Again, this is a what-if scenario should the Wings miss the playoffs and it doesn’t pertain to the current trade deadline. But, here’s why I’m talking about it now: You got those executives for contenders that didn’t win the Stanley Cup looking to add that missing piece to their team, and to them, Larkin would be a godsend, even with his massive contract. Plus, Larkin should also have no trouble waiving his no-trade clause in such a scenario.
These guys will cough up a lot in terms of high-end, NHL-ready prospects and part-time players looking to make their leap to full-time at the NHL level. And yeah, they’ll be willing to give a couple of those players up. And in the long run, such a move would work wonders for the Wings, who would also shed that contract.
Larkin would make for a perfect No. 2 center for a team on the verge. He’s won nearly 56 percent of his faceoffs this season, scored 23 goals, and has garnered 50 points. He’s still in his prime, but heading into his age-29 season, it’s fair to wonder how many more decent campaigns he has left, and that it’d be fair to find players who will give the Wings potentially five to seven sound years.
Larkin could have that in him, but it’s not as likely. So, if the Wings miss the playoffs again, this season, might I add, move Yzerman, and move Larkin, but keep the core comprising players like Lucas Raymond, Marco Kasper, Moritz Seider, and Simon Edvinsson, among others, intact.
And for Larkin, get a few more up-and-coming youngsters in the mold of Kasper and Edvinsson. Heading into his age-29 season for 2025-26, he’ll still carry that value. And it would work out for the Wings, Mystery Contending Team, Larkin, and everyone else involved.