Red Wings ownership wasn't happy with what Steve Yzerman told them about Dylan Larkin

The Dylan Larkin situation in Detroit keeps getting messier the more people talk about it, and the newest detail from Elliotte Friedman might explain a lot of what has happened since.

On the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Friedman shared that Steve Yzerman gave Red Wings ownership a very direct heads up before any trade talks got serious last spring.

He basically told them not to expect a quick win if Larkin got moved, no matter how good the offer looked on paper.

According to Friedman, Yzerman explained that any realistic return for Larkin would likely be built around futures and prospects rather than players who could help right away, and that the front office needed to be prepared for that reality going in.

Friedman added that ownership did not seem thrilled to hear it, which lines up with everything we have watched play out since.

Larkin requested a trade back in June, gave the team a short list of approved destinations, and nothing ever got done before Yzerman stepped down from his role in July.

Detroit has since named Shawn Horcoff interim general manager while shifting Yzerman into an advisory role, and Larkin has been stripped of the captaincy heading into training camp.

If ownership really did balk at a longer term rebuild path over a Larkin deal, that hesitation may be a big reason this whole situation dragged out as long as it has.

With no permanent GM in place and Larkin still under contract, the trade question is far from settled, and Friedman's report gives fans a much clearer picture of why Detroit never pulled the trigger when it actually had the chance.

Also read on House Of Hockey :
Connor Hellebuyck's leaked trade list creates a major problem for the Jets