Steve Yzerman stepping away as Red Wings GM has some observers wondering if Dylan Larkin will rescind his trade request. Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks could find the cost of re-signing Cutter Gauthier to be much higher than expected.
On Wednesday, the Detroit Red Wings surprised the hockey world by announcing that Steve Yzerman would no longer be GM. He will remain with the club as a special advisor to owner Chris Illich.
As the Red Wings search for a suitable replacement for Yzerman, the management change raises plenty of questions about the club's direction for next season and beyond.
The biggest question is whether captain Dylan Larkin would change his mind about his trade request.
It was reported in early June that the 29-year-old center had requested a trade soon after the end of the regular season. Helene St-James of the Detroit Free Press reported Larkin listed the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights and Florida Panthers as his preferred destinations, expanding the list a month later to include the Dallas Stars.
MLive.com's Ansar Khan believes Larkin's trade request may have triggered the timing for the management change. It suggests that the club's ownership preferred to retain their captain rather than their underperforming GM.
Khan thinks if Larkin changes his mind, it'll mean his request was due to issues with Yzerman. If he doesn't, it means he feels the Red Wings have no chance of becoming a contender regardless of who sits in the GM's chair.
Michael Russo and Joe Smith of The Athletic felt this situation adds a new wrinkle to the Wild's attempts to acquire Larkin.
At a minimum, it delays the Wild's efforts to land Larkin. At worst, it derails the possibility of him becoming their first-line center, leaving them with few suitable alternatives in the trade and free-agent markets.
Turning to the Anaheim Ducks, they're faced with limited salary-cap space after matching the Philadelphia Flyers' five-year, $90-million offer sheet to Leo Carlsson.
With just over $9 million in salary-cap space, it probably won't be enough to re-sign Cutter Gauthier. Like Carlsson, the 21-year-old left winger is an RFA coming off his entry-level contract following a career-best performance. Unlike Carlsson, he's ineligible to sign an offer sheet from a rival club because he lacks the necessary number of NHL games played.
Carlsson's record-setting $18 million average annual value set a new benchmark for signing rising young NHL talent. It's raised speculation that Gauthier's asking price could be considerably higher than expected.
During Tuesday's episode of the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, Keith Yandle said he'd been "fed a little tidbit" that claimed Gauthier wouldn't accept a dollar less than what Carlsson received on his new contract.
According to Jimmy Murphy of The Sick Podcast, that rumor isn't true. While Gauthier's asking price will be high, it won't reach Carlsson's level.
Gauthier led the Ducks last season with 41 goals and 69 points, largely the result of being Carlsson's linemate. He'll still receive a substantial raise that will exceed $10 million annually, perhaps reaching $15 million.
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