Dylan Larkin trade to Canadiens still possible despite 'prohibitive' price
League sources say Detroit's price for the 30 year old centre is exorbitant, but Red Wings assistant GM Kris Draper keeps turning up at Canadiens games anyway.
Why Dylan Larkin is trending
Dylan Larkin is trending because the Detroit Red Wings captain's name keeps coming up in trade talk with the Montreal Canadiens, and the price Detroit has set is, in the words of one Eastern Conference executive granted anonymity by Sportsnet, prohibitive. Red Wings assistant general manager Kris Draper has been showing up at Canadiens games with enough regularity that it reads as more than coincidence.
Draper was at Game 1 between the Canadiens and Maple Leafs in Toronto, then at Canadiens-Sharks in Montreal on Oct. 20, then at Canadiens-Blackhawks in Chicago last Friday, and he was confirmed at Enterprise Center for Canadiens-Blues on Tuesday. There were rumblings he was also at the Heritage Classic in Winnipeg on Sunday, though that sighting is unconfirmed.
What is known
Larkin has not officially put Montreal on the list of cities he would waive his no movement clause for, according to Sportsnet. League sources describe the asking price as exorbitant, and the executive who spoke to Sportsnet said it is not coming down anytime soon, pointing to Detroit's recent form as the reason.
The Wings opened the season by losing five of their first six games, including a shootout loss to Montreal and an overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils. Since then they have won four of six to sit at 5-4-3. Larkin returned from an injury that cost him the first two games and has two goals and four assists in 10 games, averaging close to 22 minutes a night.
What is not known yet
It is not known whether any team on Larkin's approved list, if Montreal is even on it, is willing or able to meet Detroit's price. Sportsnet's reporting suggests that if another club could match what the Wings are asking, a deal likely would have happened already. It is also not confirmed that Draper's presence at every Canadiens game means a trade is close. Due diligence and an actual deal are two different things.
What happens next
Elliotte Friedman told TNT that the reception Larkin got from Canadiens fans, who chanted for him to join the team at the Bell Centre, moved the needle a bit. Detroit's winning stretch gives the Wings less incentive to rush a decision while Larkin keeps contributing and the price stays firm. For now, the situation sits where it has sat for weeks: a loud rumor, a steep price, and a general manager's deputy who keeps finding reasons to be in the building.
Facts per Sportsnet.ca. Opinion is the taproom's.