According to Elliotte Friedman of 32 Thoughts, Detroit Red Wings ex-captain Dylan Larkin has expanded his trade list. This comes after a series of conflicting reports that Larkin had a three (or four) team trade list that, per Larkin, never existed in the first place.
Now, Friedman has shared an update: Larkin's list is much larger than initially reported.
"What I've heard is that there are more teams that he's willing to go to that have been intiially reported, "said Friedman. "It was initially reported as three: Vegas, Minnesota and Florida. I think it's more. Some of the other teams that are there are Colorado, Washington, Dallas and Tampa. I don't know how big that list is, but it's bigger than reported. I think it's somewhere around eight."
Quite a bit of wiggle room for interim General Manager Shawn Horcoff.
Here are the trade candidates (and what they can provide the Red Wings):
Vegas and Florida are not interested
First and foremost: the Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers, two of Larkin's first suitors, are not interested in a deal with Larkin. According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the only team interested out of that original list of three (Vegas, Minnesota and Florida) is the Minnesota Wild.
"The Wild, to this point, hasn't gotten that No. 1 center," said Russo. "They still are really holding out hope for Larkin. Obviously, Quinn [Hughes] has a lot of inside information here because he skates with Larkin on a daily basis in Ann Arbor. So you know he knows that Dylan's preference would be to come to Minnesota or Vegas or Florida. But Vegas and Florida right now don't have interest in him. But the Wild still do."
Colorado doesn't have much
It's hard to imagine the Colorado Avalanche have anything substantial to offer the Red Wings. They're at their limit in terms of salary cap, which means the Red Wings would need to take a contract in return. They don't have a lot in terms of prospects -- Daily Faceoff ranked them 30th out of 32 teams in terms of prospect pools.
The Red Wings could, of course, ask for someone like Martin Necas or Devon Toews, but the likelihood of that happening is slim to none. Unfortunately, barring an uncomfortable deal, Colorado doesn't look like it would be a very strong fit for this trade.
Tampa is in the same boat
The Lightning, like the Avalanche, don't have too much to offer a team like the Red Wings. If Colorado's prospect pool was bad, Tampa's is another thing entirely. Daily Faceoff's got them ranked 31st. The Lightning have a little more cap space than Colorado, but they're overdue an extension for Nikita Kucherov. In order to facilitate a trade, the Red Wings would likely need to take on some salary.
The biggest wrinkle with the Lightning, though, comes from their contract structures. Nearly every one of their high performing players has some form of no trade clause or no movement clause. That means everyone from Brayden Point to Erik Cernak can decline a trade. This one might be too tough of a needle to threat for Horcoff and co.
Dallas is a mixed bag
The Stars, who have been in the running for some time, offer mixed results. On one hand, their prospect pool is among the lowest in the league. On the other, they have a solid group of players that could make a difference for this team. At one point, the Red Wings could have traded for Mavrik Bourque, but due to the front office's inaction, he went to the Nashville Predators instead.
On top of this, Stars top-line winger Jason Robertson is bound for free agency soon and (allegedly) had no interest in extending with the Red Wings. This puts both the Stars and the Red Wings in somewhat of a bind. What, beyond Robertson, does Dallas have that Detroit would want? Roope Hintz would be a perfectly fine lateral move, but would the Stars be comfortable with that decision? Would Detroit?
It's hard to say and it only gets more confusing as time passes.
Washington has the most intrigue
Of all the teams mentioned, perhaps no other team is as intriguing as the Washington Capitals. They've decided to go all in this offseason, signing Alex Tuch and giving it one last run with Alex Ovechkin. Could an upgrade at center further their case? What would it take? The Capitals have a bevvy of young, exciting players like Cole Hutson and Ryan Leonard. Would they be willing to part ways with one of them?
As of right now, it looks like the Caps are the team to beat out east. Dylan Strome and Pierre-Luc Dubois headline their center room. Larkin is a clear upgrade there, but it's hard to say whether or not the Capitals see it that way -- and what the Red Wings should reasonably expect in return.
Minnesota still in the mix
According to Michael Russo (and every Wild fan in existence), the Wild are still the front runners for Dylan Larkin. Unfortunately for the fans, they just don't have what it takes to get a deal done. Sorry to burst your bubble, Wild fans: Danila Yurov, Charlie Stramel and a few late first round picks just isn't going to cut it. Unless Wild GM Bill Guerin gets another team involved, they're just not deep enough to get a deal done.
The Red Wings have made it clear they don't want futures in a Larkin deal. Larkin has made it clear he won't play in Canada or Philadelphia, where he nixed a trade with the Flyers. The teams that remain on Larkin's list range from potentially intriguing to downright insulting. Is this a negotiating tactic? Or is this a sign that there's some actual movement on the trade front?
Based on the front office's lack of communication, only time will tell.
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