Dylan Larkin's trade request still hasn't gone anywhere, and Monday brought fresh word the Detroit Red Wings aren't budging on their price.
According to insider David Pagnotta, Detroit is holding out for NHL-caliber talent in return. He put it bluntly: "I'm not seeing the fit."
This has been simmering for months now. Larkin asked out, and the front office hasn't found a partner willing to meet Steve Yzerman's number. And now he's no longer the GM, it's getting worse.
Larkin is putting together a strong season, 67 points in 74 games.
He's added nine game-winning goals and 14 power-play goals to that total this year.
Why the Red Wings can't afford to let this drag into camp
They've gone 2-6-2 over their last 10 games, with a minus-17 goal differential dragging them down.
Detroit's last game was ugly too, an 8-1 loss on the road against Florida.
Pagnotta's warning was specific: if this gets pushed into training camp unresolved, how does that affect the room?
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Locker rooms notice when a franchise center wants out and management can't close a deal.
Head coach Todd McLellan already has a group playing uninspired hockey down the stretch.
Adding a captain stuck in trade limbo to that mix is like patching a leaky roof mid-storm. It doesn't fix anything, it just gets wetter.
Sitting on this price through the summer already looks like a questionable call from the management. Training camp is the deadline nobody wants to test.
Holding the line only pays off if the room doesn't fray before puck drop in the fall. That's the bet Detroit is making right now.
Larkin carries a cap hit of $8,700,000 this season, one of the tougher salaries to match in a trade.
Any team meeting Detroit's price needs to send back a real difference-maker, not org depth. Yzerman has made that bar clear, even if he's no longer the GM.
For now, Larkin keeps producing and the Red Wings keep waiting. Whether that turns into a normal offseason trade or an awkward September standoff is still an open question.
Should the Red Wings trade Dylan Larkin now for less, rather than risk this dragging into training camp?
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