Dylan Larkin officially expands his trade list by adding one additional team

Ansar Khan of MLive reported Thursday that Larkin has added the Dallas Stars to a trade list that previously included only Florida, Minnesota and Vegas.

Khan also reported that Detroit asked Dallas for Johnston and was refused. The Stars instead offered Jason Robertson, a restricted free agent who has filed for arbitration.

Johnston is the reason this negotiation is stuck, and the reason is older than the trade request.

In 2021, Detroit sent Dallas three picks, including the 23rd overall selection, and moved up to No. 15 to draft goaltender Sebastian Cossa.

Dallas then used that 23rd pick on Johnston.

Cossa never established himself in Detroit. Johnston scored 45 goals and 86 points in 82 games last season, per PuckPedia, and has not missed a game in four NHL seasons.

His cap hit is $8.4 million through 2029-30, which is $300,000 less than Larkin earns.

Detroit did not miss on Johnston. Detroit paid Dallas to take him.

Steve Yzerman traded Cossa to the Utah Mammoth at last month's draft and used the return to select J.P. Hurlbert, a teenage winger headed to the University of Michigan.

So Detroit's side of that 2021 swap is now a prospect years from the NHL. Dallas turned its side into a signed top-line center.

That is the whole standoff. Yzerman wants NHL players for Larkin, not futures, and Jim Nill has no reason to surrender the one player who fits.

Florida, Minnesota and Vegas were never able to pay that price either, which is why nothing has moved since June.

None of them hold a young center Detroit would accept.

Adding Dallas gave Larkin a fourth destination, not Detroit a fourth offer.

Larkin has five years left at $8.7 million and a full no-trade clause, so Yzerman can absolutely wait.

Waiting just does not bring back a first-round pick he spent in 2021.

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