Elite contenders join the hunt for Detroit’s captain as his preferred destination list grows, positioning the Capitals and Avalanche as high-stakes players in a shifting trade market.
On Friday, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman offered new insight into the ongoing situation with Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin, revealing that more teams are believed to be on the veteran center's list of preferred destinations than have previously been reported.
Vegas, Minnesota and Florida had emerged as the initial three teams Larkin was said to be targeting, with Dallas and Tampa Bay later added to the mix. But according to Friedman, the actual list is slightly longer.
"One of the things I've heard about Larkin is that there are more teams that he's willing to go to than have been reported," Friedman explained. "I think some of the other teams that are there are Colorado, Washington, and I suspect, in case people didn't know them already, Dallas and Tampa. So I don't know how big that list is, but it's bigger than that's been reported. I think it's somewhere around eight."
The update reshapes what has been a slow-moving trade saga, opening up more realistic paths for the former Red Wings captain to actually be moved. The first three teams reportedly on Larkin's list carry limited trade capital to offer in return.
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Washington, on the other hand, holds a full complement of its own draft picks and has a potential, if lesser, Larkin replacement in Dylan Strome that it could include in a package. The Capitals could pair that with a marquee prospect like Ryan Leonard, or alternatively look to move some of their other blue-chip prospects such as Cole Hutson, Andrew Cristall or Lynden Lacombe if they wanted to fast-track a deal.
Colorado presents an entirely different kind of appeal, offering Larkin arguably his best shot at winning immediately. But the Avalanche have no first-round picks over the next two seasons, a core that is either aging or carries trade protection, and little in the way of prospect capital to offer. That combination would make it difficult for Colorado to construct a package compelling enough for interim Red Wings general manager Shawn Horcoff to accept.
Friedman's latest report adds meaningful new context to a situation that continues to evolve, and it raises the possibility that a significant move involving Larkin could ultimately come from one of these newly surfaced suitors rather than the teams originally believed to be at the front of the line.
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