Dylan Larkin's Canadiens trade stance sparks theory involving his wife and Julie Petry

Dylan Larkin's reluctance to join the Montreal Canadiens may have a personal side to it.

Francophone outlet Dans les Coulisses floated a theory this week that Larkin's wife, Kenzy, isn't sold on a move to Quebec, possibly because of her close friend Julie Petry, whose husband Jeff used to play for the Habs.

Nothing about it is confirmed, and it's worth saying plainly that this is a theory, not a report from inside the Larkin household.

The Detroit Red Wings forward asked for a trade over the summer, lost the captaincy before camp, and holds a full no-trade clause on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract he signed in 2023.

Kenzy Larkin, who was Kenzy Wolfe before the marriage, appeared on Never Offside last year, the podcast Julie Petry co-hosts with Cat Toffoli.

The two women come across as very close, and the outlet notes they live near each other.

That reportedly began after Jeff Petry joined the Red Wings and moved close to the Larkins.

The outlet figures Kenzy may have asked Julie over the summer what playing in Montreal was like, and that the answers didn't help the Canadiens' cause.

Larkin is 30, and the Canadiens reportedly remain off his approved list of destinations.

Fans at the Bell Centre chanted his name on Saturday night, and he called the moment interesting.

Columnist Maxime Truman reported that Montreal and Detroit had a deal in place over the summer before Larkin shut it down.

Insider Frank Seravalli passed along that an NHL executive sees the Canadiens as the one team that can match Detroit's price.

The Red Wings opened 1-3-1, so the pressure keeps building.

A deal only happens if Larkin himself changes his mind, and the Petry friendship theory remains pure speculation.

Also read on House Of Hockey :
Elliotte Friedman hints at an unexpected twist in the Connor Hellebuyck saga