Dylan Larkin to Montreal in mock trade costing Dach, Zharovsky, Pickford and a 2027 1st

A mock trade sending Dylan Larkin to the Montreal Canadiens is making the rounds heading into tonight's games, and Habs fans are already split.

The pitch from IceMetrix is aggressive. Detroit gets Alexander Zharovsky, Bryce Pickford, Kirby Dach and a 2027 first-round pick, with Montreal taking back Larkin at 25 percent retained.

There's a footnote, too. Alexandre Texier either gets sent down or gets folded into the deal for cap purposes.

Do the math. At $8,700,000, a 25 percent retention leaves Montreal carrying $6,525,000 for the Red Wings captain.

Moving Dach's $3,600,000 out, plus Texier's $2,500,000 if he's included, is what makes the cap side even close to workable.

Now the hockey. Larkin has a goal and two assists so far, dressing for five of Detroit's seven games.

The Red Wings sit eighth in the Atlantic at 2-3-2. Montreal is one spot above them at 3-3-1.

Shawn Horcoff won't hand Detroit's captain to a division rival

Start with who would be taking the call. Shawn Horcoff is running the Red Wings as interim GM, and interim GMs don't usually move franchise captains.

Would anyone in that chair want his first big swing to be shipping the former C to Montreal?

Then look at the return. Dach has one assist through seven games, with a -4 rating.

Over his last five, the Canadiens forward has no points and went minus-3.

This is a bad deal for Detroit, plain and simple. A struggling forward and a pair of prospects don't replace a former captain.

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It's like swapping a finished house for an empty lot, a stack of lumber and a promise about 2027.

And the Red Wings can't afford to lose offense. They're producing 2.3 goals a night, and Alex DeBrincat is the only Red Wing with more than five points.

The two clubs already met once. Montreal took a 1-0 shootout win at home on Oct. 10, a night when neither team could buy a goal in regulation.

Montreal's motivation is easier to read. Ivan Demidov is on injured reserve until at least Oct. 31, and the Canadiens are allowing 3.9 goals per game.

Nick Suzuki is carrying the load with nine points. Behind him, Juraj Slafkovsky has three points and a -2 rating.

Kent Hughes would have to decide whether two prospects and a 2027 first are worth a 30-year-old center. That's a real gamble for a team still finding its footing.

Both clubs play tonight. The Canadiens host Buffalo, while Todd McLellan's Red Wings host San Jose.

It's a fan pitch, not a phone call between GMs. But if Dach keeps sliding, how long before Hughes starts fielding calls about him for real?

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