NHL Rumor Roundup: Could Dylan Larkin Change His Mind About The Montreal Canadiens?

The Montreal Canadiens suffered a serious blow when team captain Nick Suzuki was sidelined with a hand injury. He's out for just two to four weeks, but replacing the reigning Selke Trophy winner's all-around skill and leadership is a serious challenge.

Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has been shopping for a top-six forward for the past two years. The preference is for an experienced second-line center, but those players are scarce in the trade market.

Hughes instead tried to acquire a scoring winger like Matthew Knies and Kirill Marchenko, who ended up being swapped for each other before the season began. Suzuki's absence generated speculation that Canadiens management could increase efforts to find that elusive second-line center.

TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported Thursday that there was still a chance that Dylan Larkin would add the Canadiens to his trade list. The 30-year-old Detroit Red Wings center was serenaded by Canadiens fans chanting "We Want Larkin!" when the Red Wings recently came to town, but it didn’t entice him to add Montreal to his 10-team list of preferred destinations.

LeBrun reports the Red Wings are "actively scouting the Canadiens" among other teams. He believes they're conducting their due diligence in case Larkin changes his mind. He also claimed Suzuki's injury had no bearing on their rumored interest in Larkin because their captain is only out for a short period.

The Red Wings are also taking calls from teams interested in unsigned defenseman Simon Edvinsson. It's doubtful the Canadiens are among them given their blueline depth, but it would be funny if the Red Wings were scouting the Habs for a potential trade involving Edvinsson instead of Larkin.

LeBrun's colleague Chris Johnston noted that the Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings also weren't on Larkin's list. He believes both clubs could use a center like him.

The Bruins are jockeying with the Carolina Hurricanes for first place in the Eastern Conference. They're doing fine with center Pavel Zacha, rising star Fraser Minten, the resurgent Elias Lindholm, and promising Matt Poitras, with young James Hagens currently playing as a winger.

As for the Kings, they definitely need help at center, but sitting near the bottom of the standings won't make them an attractive destination for Larkin.

Meanwhile, The Hockey News' Adam Proteau noted the rumors linking Larkin to Montreal, reminding everyone that he hasn't included the Canadiens (or any other Canadian team) on his list. Proteau wondered if the Habs might try to interest Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly in coming to Montreal.

O'Reilly, 35, is slated to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He lacks no-trade protection, but the previous and current Predators management have treated him as though he did.

The retooling Predators might be willing to move O'Reilly to a team of his choice. However, it's doubtful he’ll want to come to another Canadian hockey hotbed after his brief experience in Toronto three years ago.

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