Elliotte Friedman just put the Montreal Canadiens in the Dylan Larkin conversation. And the Detroit Red Wings now have a call they can't ignore.
Speaking on Spittin' Chiclets this week, Friedman said he still sees Minnesota as the likeliest landing spot. But he floated a Montreal theory worth chewing on.
His read is simple. If the Canadiens build a package around pieces Detroit really likes, the Red Wings take it straight to their No. 71.
“Montreal's got us a great offer, let's seriously think about it.” That's the conversation Friedman pictures happening inside Detroit's front office.
It's a theory, nothing more yet. His money stays on the Wild.
The timing is what makes this Friday morning interesting. Larkin is listed day-to-day with a non-injury designation and isn't expected back until at least Saturday.
The 30-year-old has dressed for 10 of Detroit's 13 games, with six points and a +3 rating. Hardly the line of a player whose team should be desperate to move him.
Kent Hughes faces a Nick Suzuki problem as Larkin talk grows
Montreal is rolling. The Canadiens have won four straight, capped by a 5-2 win in Dallas on Thursday night, and sit sixth in the league.
But Nick Suzuki is listed with an upper-body injury and isn't expected back until at least Nov. 18. He had 12 points in nine games before going down.
Losing that kind of production while you're winning is like the furnace quitting in the first cold snap. You can layer up for a week, not for a month.
Cole Caufield has eight goals to keep the offense humming. Jacob Fowler owns a .942 save percentage through seven appearances, so the crease isn't the issue.
So who goes back to Detroit? Friedman's framing makes it clear this only happens if Montreal offers assets the Red Wings actually covet.
And the money is real. An $8,700,000 cap hit doesn't slide quietly into anyone's lineup in late October.
Minnesota still looks like the natural fit on paper. The Wild are 9-3-3, second in the league, and Kirill Kaprizov already has 14 goals.
Detroit's own standing explains why the noise exists. The Red Wings sit 19th overall and eighth in their division, even after Thursday's 4-1 win over Chicago.
They also dropped a 1-0 shootout in Montreal on Oct. 10. A trade would turn that matchup into something far more personal.
Here's the flag worth planting. Sending Larkin to a division rival would be a bad trade for Detroit, no matter how shiny the return looks.
If Shawn Horcoff moves his centerpiece, he moves him west. The new GM only took the job on Sept. 15, and fans won't forgive this one quickly.
St. Louis comes to Detroit on Saturday. Whether Larkin is in the lineup, and what Horcoff has heard by puck drop, nobody outside that building knows yet.
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Should the Canadiens make Detroit a real offer for Dylan Larkin while Nick Suzuki is out?
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