Pierre LeBrun's sense is that the Dylan Larkin offers, notably from Minnesota, never came close to what Steve Yzerman wanted back from the Red Wings.
LeBrun laid it out on Melnick in the Afternoon: "When Steve Yzerman was still GM, my sense is the offers... notably from Minnesota and a few other teams..."
Those offers, he said, "did not come close to addressing what Yzerman felt [they] had to get back."
That "still GM" wording is doing a lot of work. It tells you Yzerman is no longer the one taking those calls.
The Wild were one of the three teams on Larkin's original list this summer, along with Vegas and Florida.
Elliotte Friedman now puts that list at around eight teams.
So what does the next person in charge ask for?
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Dylan Larkin trade stalled after Minnesota's offers failed to impress Detroit
The Wild already carry Kirill Kaprizov at $17,000,000, the second-biggest cap hit in the league.
Adding Larkin's $8,700,000 through 2030-31 would push that pair to $25,700,000.
The production explains Detroit's price. He scored 34 goals last season.
He also hasn't played a playoff game since 2015-16, when he dressed for five.
Yzerman was right to hold out. Detroit shouldn't hand a player like this to a rival at a discount just because he asked to leave.
It's like a restaurant getting offers for its best recipe from the diner across the street. You don't sell it for the price of a sandwich.
He asked out this summer while still wearing the C, and that didn't sit well with a lot of Red Wings fans.
The Red Wings wrapped their preseason with a 4-2 home loss to Columbus on Saturday and finished 2-1-1. Larkin didn't dress for that one.
Todd McLellan's group opens the regular season October 2 against the Rangers.
John Hynes' Wild dropped a 2-1 decision to Dallas on Friday and open October 1 in Nashville.
Whoever is taking the calls in Detroit now inherits the same problem. There's a longer list, the same asking price and an opener that won't wait.
Was Steve Yzerman right to turn down Minnesota's offers for Dylan Larkin?
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