Red Wings' asking price complicates Dylan Larkin trade as three-team scenario emerges
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Dylan Larkin trade talks may need a third team, per Helene St. James, as Detroit wants a proven player back in return.
Dylan Larkin's trade saga just picked up another wrinkle, and it might explain why nothing has gotten done.
Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press shared her read on the situation during the Tom Gazzola Show on Oct. 26, and her take is that a deal won't come easy.
She believes it will likely take a three-team trade, with another club stepping in to help the pieces fit.
Detroit also isn't looking for a quick fix.
The Red Wings want players who can help right now, and St. James says they basically need a center of Larkin's caliber coming back.
Re Dylan Larkin: "In my opinion I think it's gonna end up taking a three...another team has to be involved; they want want value now players in return; they basically need someone like Larkin in return."
- Helene St. James
- Helene St. James
Why the price is so high
That lines up with what St. James has said before.
Detroit wants value-now players instead of picks or prospects, because taking the latter would tell Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider the Wings are rebuilding.
Larkin's contract adds another layer.
He has a full no-trade clause and a $8.7 million cap hit that runs through 2030-31, so he controls where he lands.
He asked out in June, and the 30-year-old was stripped of the captaincy before training camp.
St. James reported Oct. 20 that he's now open to 10 teams, including Carolina, New Jersey and Utah.
Still producing in Detroit
Meanwhile, he's still playing. Larkin scored in Detroit's 4-3 shootout win over the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 26, which helps keep his trade value intact.
A three-team deal sounds tough to build, but a longer list gives Detroit more ways to make the math work.
Every extra team is another possible partner, and that matters when the Red Wings are hunting for a roster-ready piece instead of a pile of future assets.
The Red Wings host the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
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