Red Wings make their Dylan Larkin trade demand clear as four teams hesitate
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Detroit is holding firm on its asking price for Dylan Larkin, and none of his preferred teams seem willing to pay it.
It has been more than two months since Larkin asked the Red Wings for a trade, and the situation still hasn't moved much.
Detroit wants a legitimate first-line center in return, nothing less, and that number has scared off the teams on his list so far.
That post from earlier this week sums up where things stand.
Florida, Minnesota, Vegas and Dallas have all had conversations with the Red Wings about Larkin, but none of them have offered a proven top-line center back.
Picks and prospects have been floated instead, and Detroit has made it clear that isn't going to cut it this time around and has rejected those proposals.
Why the wings won't settle for futures
Trading their captain for draft capital would send a message the front office doesn't want to send, especially with young players like Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider still developing.
Detroit wants to stay competitive, not restart a rebuild, and that's shaping every conversation happening around Larkin right now.
Larkin is coming off a 34 goal, 67 point season and still has five years left on his deal at an 8.7 million cap hit, so it isn't like teams are scared off by the contract.
The hesitation is about giving up their own top center, and so far nobody has blinked.
What happens next for larkin
Until Detroit finds new hockey operations leadership, a deal may stay parked.
Some around the league think reconciliation is still on the table if nothing changes soon.
For now, camp is approaching and Larkin's future remains one of the league's biggest storylines heading into the season.
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