Canadiens make two players available in Dylan Larkin trade speculation
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Red Wings assistant GM Kris Draper was in St. Louis as Adam Engstrom drew into the Canadiens lineup, and the Dylan Larkin chatter got louder.
The Red Wings keep showing up at Canadiens games, and Tuesday night in St. Louis made it impossible to ignore.
Assistant GM Kris Draper was in the building again, reportedly for his third Montreal game in four.
Martin St-Louis put Adam Engstrom into the lineup in place of Arber Xhekaj, who sat out as a healthy scratch.
Oliver Kapanen was back in his usual spot too.
An X account flagged the timing right away.
Why Engstrom and Kapanen
Engstrom is a 22-year-old left-shot defenseman, taken 92nd overall in 2022.
He came in with five games played this season, no points and a plus-2. Kapanen is 23 and has been slotting in at first-line center while Nick Suzuki is hurt.
Both names keep popping up in Dylan Larkin trade packages.
To be clear, nothing confirms Montreal is trading either player yet, or that Draper is tracking them specifically.
Larkin asked out months ago and Montreal isn't on his approved list, so any deal still needs him to change his mind.
Reports say the Canadiens would be willing to meet Detroit's asking price, but Larkin holds a no-trade clause and the final say.
How the night went
Montreal won 2-0 behind a shutout from Jacob Fowler, and Zachary Bolduc scored the winner.
The Blues outshot the Canadiens 46-21, so Fowler earned first star honors.
Engstrom didn't land on the scoresheet, though he did block a shot in his minutes on the back end.
Now the Canadiens head to Dallas on Thursday, and the lineup card will be worth a look again.
If Draper keeps buying tickets, the speculation isn't going anywhere, and neither is the Larkin saga.
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