Connor Hellebuyck may hold the key to Dylan Larkin's future

Dylan Larkin's name is bouncing around the rumor mill again, and this week it's the Buffalo Sabres doing the pulling.

Insider Joe Marino dropped a domino theory Monday morning. A Connor Hellebuyck trade to Buffalo, he argued, only increases the odds that Larkin expands his own trade list to include the Sabres.

It's speculation right now. But it's speculation with real hockey math behind it.

A Hellebuyck trade to Buffalo only increases the chances that Dylan Larkin expands his trade list to include Buffalo in it

Michigan native Josh Norris' salary would be nearly a wash and the Sabres would still have tons of assets to get a deal done even after completing a Hellebuyck trade

Think big.

Buffalo sits fourth overall in the league at 50-23-9, a 109-point club that just dropped its last game and carries a 6-3-1 mark over its last 10.

Detroit is the opposite story. The Red Wings have lost three straight, gone 2-6-2 in their last 10, and sit 16th overall at 92 points under Todd McLellan.

Larkin himself has been the one bright spot. He's put up 11 points over his last 10 games, five goals and six assists, even while Detroit slides around him.

That's the part that makes this rumor stick. Why would a player riding a hot streak want to leave? Because sometimes the losing matters more than the personal numbers.

Josh Norris is the name that makes this trade actually workable

Marino's argument leans on Josh Norris as the centerpiece. His $7,950,000 cap hit lines up close enough to Larkin's $8,700,000 that the money is nearly a wash in a straight swap.

And Buffalo, even after absorbing a Hellebuyck trade, would reportedly still have plenty of futures and picks left to sweeten a Larkin deal beyond just Norris.

Norris, a Michigan native, has 34 points in 44 games this season for the Sabres, including 13 goals. He's not empty in this equation, he's a real piece.

Detroit has already gotten a look at what it would be dealing with. The Red Wings are 1-2 against Buffalo this season, including a 4-5 overtime loss back on November 15.

Here's the uncomfortable part for Detroit fans. Trading your franchise center while he's producing is like selling a stock the week it starts climbing. It only feels smart in hindsight, one way or the other.

Nothing here is official. Larkin hasn't confirmed any list expansion, and Buffalo hasn't confirmed a Hellebuyck deal.

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But two front offices, Jarmo Kekalainen's Sabres and Steve Yzerman's Red Wings, both know how fast July rumors turn into August headlines.

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