David Pagnotta says other teams are waiting on the Dylan Larkin situation and ready to make a deal as the Red Wings captain's standoff drags on.
The Red Wings are 7-7-3 and lost 2-1 to the Golden Knights on Thursday night, their second straight defeat. Detroit sits 20th in the NHL, and the Larkin talk is not going away.
Pagnotta named three clubs on Daily Faceoff Live on Tuesday, and he added that some of the interested teams are not on Larkin's list at all.
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According to Pagnotta, Montreal, Buffalo and Boston, plus teams outside the list, are telling Detroit to call when the time comes. They are, in his words, "just kinda waiting."
That detail matters because the list is the whole problem. We already reported on the Red Wings pushing Larkin and his agents to open it up again, and the answer has stayed the same.
Larkin is 30, a Waterford, Michigan native and the 15th overall pick in 2014. He has 6 points in 10 games this season, and 649 points over 818 NHL games.
Pagnotta also suggested earlier today that the standoff may last weeks. That is a long time for a captain to sit in limbo while the team slides.
Who has the room and the need
Boston is the easy fit on paper. The Bruins are 12-4-1, second in the NHL and first in the Atlantic, with a +24 goal differential and three straight wins.
They don't look like a team that needs rescuing, which is exactly what makes Larkin's interest in them worth watching. Marco Sturm doesn't have a hole he has to plug, so any move would be a luxury.
Montreal is 10-3-3 and 7-1-2 over its last 10, and it beat Utah 5-4 in overtime on Thursday. Buffalo is the odd one out at 7-5-3, 18th in the league and minus-7 in goal differential. The Sabres have the clearest need of the three.
Detroit holds all the leverage on one side and none on the other. A player with a list can say no to every offer, and a general manager can't force a trade to a team that isn't on it.
Todd McLellan's group plays at Colorado on Saturday. Until Larkin opens his list or the Red Wings change course, every loss will make the waiting teams look more patient.
Quick hits
John Tavares is back in the picture for Toronto. Terry Koshan reports he figures he will return to the lineup Saturday night against the Habs, which is a boost for John Tavares and the Maple Leafs.
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Detroit got some good news of its own. Helene St. James says John Gibson was back at practice after leaving Tuesday's game at Tampa Bay, and that matters for John Gibson's Red Wings practice return.
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Minnesota has its goalie plan set. Michael Russo says Jesper Wallstedt starts tonight against the Sharks, with Calvin Pickard next, per the Wild's goalie plan for Sharks and Lightning.
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Should the Red Wings trade Dylan Larkin even if he only approves a few teams?
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