Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit, and the Red Wings now know exactly what kind of destination he's willing to accept.
Elliotte Friedman said Tuesday on NHL Now that Larkin's trade list started at three teams. It has since grown to eight or nine.
All of them are U.S.-based. And every single one is a contender.
So there are the two reasons, laid out plainly. He wants to stay in the States, and he wants to win right now.
The Waterford, Michigan, native has played 808 regular-season games in a Red Wings sweater. He's dressed for five playoff games in that entire stretch, all of them in 2015-16.
Five. For a center with 643 career NHL points, who could possibly blame him for wanting meaningful April hockey?
Shawn Horcoff's $8.7 million center only wants a winner
The contract matters just as much. Larkin carries an $8,700,000 cap hit that runs through 2030-31.
Contending teams rarely have that kind of space lying around. Every GM on the list will make Shawn Horcoff sweat the details.
And production isn't the problem. Larkin scored 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games last season and finished a +3.
He's cleared 30 goals in five straight seasons. Widening the list gives Detroit more bidders, and more bidders means more leverage for the GM.
It's like renovating the same house for a decade and still waking up to no heat. At some point, you stop buying tools and start scrolling listings.
Detroit drafted him 15th overall in 2014 and got exactly the player it hoped for. The front office never built a winner around him, and this is the bill coming due.
The Red Wings open the regular season Friday at home against the Rangers. Their final tune-up ended in a 4-2 loss to Columbus on September 26.
Todd McLellan now has to build his top six around a center whose exit list keeps getting longer. Awkward doesn't begin to cover it.
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Does Horcoff move him before the first road trip, or let this hang over the locker room into the winter? A handful of American contenders are waiting to find out.
Should the Red Wings trade Dylan Larkin to a contender before the season really gets rolling?
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