Flyers Not Making Progress in Dylan Larkin Trade Push

Much to the chagrin of an increasingly impatient fanbase amid an 0-2-2 start, the Philadelphia Flyers have not gotten very far in their attempts to acquire a No. 1 center, or otherwise any kind of game-changer to help right the ship.

Throughout the offseason, and even into training camp, the Flyers have been reported to be seriously interested in Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, a center who submitted a trade request and was stripped of his captaincy heading into the season.

Larkin, 30, made his season debut for the Red Wings on Tuesday night, turning boos from loyal fans every time he touched the puck into cheers with a one-goal, two-point performance in Detroit's first win of the season.

That win by the Red Wings left the Flyers as the only team in the Eastern Conference, and one of three teams in the NHL, without a win, and Larkin is reportedly still giving the Flyers the cold shoulder with his trade request still pending.

"Philly's checked in. They've repeatedly checked in, but my understanding is, the answer is still no to Philly," NHL insider David Pagnotta reported on Daily Faceoff's most recent episode of "DFO Insider". "For now. Buddies with [Trevor Zegras], the longer this goes, maybe he changes his mind in another month and adds to [the trade list]. Going into this week, Philly was still a no."

Will the Flyers ever find a No. 1 center?

That's discouraging for the Flyers, to say the least, having already struck out on Leo Carlsson on an aggressive offer sheet at the top of the offseason, and with someone like Noah Cates seemingly taking a step back with the team struggling early this season.

The Flyers' center depth was already average at best, but with pretty much the whole team struggling to do anything at either end of the ice, the issue is exacerbated even further.

Pagnotta was adamant that Flyers general manager Danny Briere was not going to "sit on his hands" and stand idle, but despite the organization's insistence on improving the defense, taking a big swing, and finding a No. 1 center, none of those things have materialized.

As Pagnotta mentioned, the longer the saga between Larkin and the Red Wings drags out, the better a chance the Flyers will have at getting themselves involved.

Larkin still has five years remaining on his contract, including this one, at an $8.7 million cap hit, so finding a destination he's happy with will be important for the player, and he'll utilize the penultimate year of his full no-trade clause to make that happen.

Until something changes, the Flyers are fully at the mercy of Larkin, the Red Wings, and likely any other player or team they want to trade for or with, especially given how dire their current situation is.