Something interesting is happening with Red Wings and Canadiens tonight, and Dylan Larkin may be involved

Kris Draper is heading back to the rink. Pierre LeBrun confirmed that the Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager will be in the building tonight when the Montreal Canadiens visit the St. Louis Blues.

For those keeping track, that's now three of the Canadiens' last four games. At some point a coincidence stops being a coincidence.

Here's the catch. Dylan Larkin hasn't put Montreal on his list. The Red Wings center has expanded his approved trade list to 10 teams, and the Canadiens still aren't on it. Florida, Minnesota, Vegas, Dallas, Washington, Carolina, Utah, Tampa Bay, New Jersey and Colorado are.

LeBrun reported that the Red Wings are scouting Montreal in person as part of their due diligence, just in case Larkin changes his mind. Detroit also knows the kind of packages the Canadiens have been putting in front of other teams while hunting for a top-six difference maker.

Canadiens fans have made their feelings known too. The Bell Centre crowd chanted for Larkin during the 1-0 shootout win over Detroit earlier this month. LeBrun has also said people in Larkin's camp see Montreal as a decent fit, though the final call belongs to the player.

Right now, this is homework. The Larkin saga has been swirling for weeks, and this is the latest wrinkle nobody can quite explain away. Larkin controls where he goes, and Montreal isn't one of his stops yet. Still, teams don't usually send a senior executive to the same arena again and again for fun.

If Larkin opens the door even a little, Detroit will already have a thick file on the Canadiens. Keep an eye on the press box for the next few games.

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