Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit, and the Red Wings are learning teams do not see him as a true No. 1 center.
Insider Jeff Marek broke down the market resistance this week on The Sheet, and it explains why this has dragged.
Marek's read is blunt. Teams agree Larkin is a first-line center in Detroit, but view him as a second-line piece on a good team.
That gap between perception and asking price is exactly why no deal has come together yet.
The numbers make that read hard to accept. Larkin posted 34 goals, 33 assists and 67 points over 74 games this past season.
He was even better late, piling up 11 points over his final 10 games and nine points in his last five.
General manager Steve Yzerman now has to find a partner willing to pay first-line money for a player rivals view as complementary.
His own numbers argue against that valuation
Detroit finished 41-31-10 for 92 points and 16th overall this season under head coach Todd McLellan.
That record explains part of the resistance. A middling team offers little proof that Larkin can anchor a real contender.
Larkin carries an $8.7 million cap hit, a number that lines up fine with a genuine first-line center in today's market.
"Yeah, he's a first-line center on the Red Wings, but this guy on a good team is a second-line center, and that's the price we want to pay," Marek said.
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That framing effectively caps his return, no matter how strong his individual numbers look on paper.
Calling a 67-point, 34-goal center a second-line piece is a stretch, even in a league now loaded with skilled middle-six options.
Whether the Red Wings hold out for a first-line price or accepts the discount the market is offering decides where Larkin plays next.
Is it fair for teams to value Dylan Larkin as only a second-line center?
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