Dylan Larkin's name just caught fire, and the Red Wings are suddenly stuck in the middle of a story moving fast in October.
Michael Russo said Tuesday on KFAN 100.3 that he thinks “it's gonna happen soon,” pointing to multiple sources and a conference call with the Red Wings “the other day.”
He added there are “a lot of rumors out there that it's getting close.” And he never spelled out what “it” actually is.
That missing word is what has Detroit fans refreshing their feeds this morning.
The timing is ugly. Detroit dropped a 4-3 shootout decision in Seattle last night, and the club now sits at 3-3-3.
That's 24th overall and eighth in the division. Hardly the backdrop a front office wants when its $8.7 million forward becomes Minnesota radio material.
Larkin wasn't the problem in Seattle. He logged 23:02 of ice time and fired six shots on goal.
Minnesota chatter puts Shawn Horcoff's next move under the microscope
So what exactly did that conference call cover? Russo didn't say.
Rumors like this work like a moving truck parked across the street. Nobody's said a word, but everybody on the block is peeking through the blinds.
The comments aired on a Minnesota station, which is exactly why Wild fans started doing math before lunch.
The season numbers explain some of the unease in Detroit. Larkin has five points through seven of the team's nine games, and he's gone without a goal over his last five.
Meanwhile, the Wild look nothing like a team waiting around. John Hynes has Minnesota at 6-2-2 and a perfect 4-0-0 at home.
Kirill Kaprizov is carrying the load with 11 goals in 10 games. Quinn Hughes has chipped in 13 points from the blue line.
Bill Guerin already has Kaprizov at a $17 million cap hit. Anything big added next to that number would need some creative cap work.
Here's where I land. If Horcoff is shopping Larkin nine games into a season this close to .500, it's a white flag the Red Wings haven't earned the right to wave.
The rest of this roster isn't screaming rebuild either. Alex DeBrincat has 11 points and a +9 rating.
Goaltending is the real sore spot. John Gibson is sitting on an .873 save percentage through six appearances.
Todd McLellan doesn't get a breather. Detroit plays at Vancouver on Thursday, then hits Calgary on Saturday and Edmonton on Monday.
The Red Wings and Wild haven't met yet. Their first meeting isn't until January 17 in Detroit.
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Whether Larkin is wearing the winged wheel that night is now a real question. Detroit has to hope the answer comes before this road trip turns into a referendum.
Should Shawn Horcoff move Dylan Larkin with the Red Wings sitting 24th overall?
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