Speculation: A Possible Larkin Trade Template.

[deca guard]

Trading Larkin for futures would be the dumbest thing this franchise has done in a long time.

E.X.A.C.T.L.Y. ! larko a local yocal who grew up as a red wing kid watching all the red wing greats and learning about red wing history , then eventually meeting many red wing greats . he wants the rad wing C more than anybody on earth and his hearts in the job 100% ... not to mention hes an elite mix of wheels - motor - determination - smarts , ELITE . yes theres better passers and snipers , danglers too . guys that look more spectacular . but the stuff larkin does is just as valuable . you wont realize though until hes got enough talented teammates , ecspecially dmen , to make the offense click . ive zero thoughts of trading larko ! and same with yzerman , hes going to show 100% loyalty to larkin just like larko's showing 100% loyalty to the detroit red wings and steve yzerman ! theres a thing called heart and loyalty involved in sports thats extremely important and larkins got that maxed out , and in return yzergod will also max out . coach demers termed yzergod ' the captain ' back in the 80s . here 2021 im terming larko ' the cornerstone ' of the rebuild ...

 

[ThankGord]

Wasn't that Holland's reason for re-signing Helm and Abby?

I like Larkin, but he's not some sort of generational talent that's going to bring the Wings back to glory. Heck, even Stevie wasn't, those teams won the Cup because Mr. Ilitch wanted to win before he died and threw a ton of money into free agents before the salary cap.

Continuity means nothing when the team is losing. Right now the culture is all about losing, (not Larkin's fault but) why would we want to continue that?

Oh I don't disagree, I see Larks as a 1B Center.

But culture isn't our problem right now, lack of high-end talent is. Look at Buffalo, they trashed their culture and received some great talent but can't hold it together because the structure is broken.

 

[Lil Sebastian Cossa]

E.X.A.C.T.L.Y. ! larko a local yocal who grew up as a red wing kid watching all the red wing greats and learning about red wing history , then eventually meeting many red wing greats . he wants the rad wing C more than anybody on earth and his hearts in the job 100% ... not to mention hes an elite mix of wheels - motor - determination - smarts , ELITE . yes theres better passers and snipers , danglers too . guys that look more spectacular . but the stuff larkin does is just as valuable . you wont realize though until hes got enough talented teammates , ecspecially dmen , to make the offense click . ive zero thoughts of trading larko ! and same with yzerman , hes going to show 100% loyalty to larkin just like larko's showing 100% loyalty to the detroit red wings and steve yzerman ! theres a thing called heart and loyalty involved in sports thats extremely important and larkins got that maxed out , and in return yzergod will also max out . coach demers termed yzergod ' the captain ' back in the 80s . here 2021 im terming larko ' the cornerstone ' of the rebuild ...

All of this is nice. All of it plays well to our culture.

But if there was a chance to convert Dylan Larkin into a player who was certainly a better, more talented player who carries a lot of these same traits, he would be out the door.

Yzerman is going to show "loyalty" to Larkin in as much as he's still the best option for our franchise. Larkin is incredibly talented and I agree, it would show out more if we had a better roster around him. Case in point, he played in the Jim Johannson classic that he organized on a line with Patrick Kane and looked like a superstar. Unstoppable when there are other star players who he can keep up with and who can keep up with him. But he's not the guy who can drive mediocrity to greatness. He's not Nick Lidstrom who could shepherd Ian White through a season as a workable 2nd pairing D or even Nick Kronwall who could let Jonathan Ericsson masquerade as a top pairing D for a couple years.

The intangibles you describe are definitely worth something... but Larkin continues to trend downwards statistics-wise, he's not going to be re-signed if he asks for 8-9M+ in a couple years.

 

[SuperScript29]

But if there was a chance to convert Dylan Larkin into a player who was certainly a better, more talented player who carries a lot of these same traits, he would be out the door.

Pretty much that, it's going to take another significant player coming back to trade Larkin. For example if we take Buffalo's situation with Eichel, if a deal involving Larkin going the other way was on the table that made sense for the team, Yzerman doesn't seem to hesitate pulling such triggers.

 

[ShippinItDaily]

I think the proposal is well structured and there is certainly potential for it to be a big win for Detroit, as @Winger98 eluded to with the comment of Montreal being vulnerable to fall off and thus having the 1st round pick be very valuable. That said, the only reason I can see for doing it right now is if you thought Larkin's salary demands would be out-of-line when he hits UFA in a few years. I think you can still do a deal like this further down the line if the rebuild dynamic changes because I am pretty confident that Yzerman will be able to work out a solid contract extension with Larkin.

All that said, I'd hold tight on Larkin. I want to see him stick around and lead and achieve success with this club. I think it can happen.

 

[odin1981]

Trading all the "older" players like 25 year old Larkin is a great way to end up like the Oilers with a bunch of young guys and no vets to show leadership in the room. They'll get lit up.

I like the idea of having Larkin around (who learned from Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Kronwall, and plenty of other guys who have had long, successful careers) to help guys like Raymond, Zadina, Seider, this years pick etc break into the league

That's why in a way I kinda liked not trading Glendy at . I want him to be resigned as well. That is the type of player you want rookies learning their habits on and off the ice from.

 

[Squirrel in the Hole]

Keep in mind that Stevie was where Larkin is. And, Stevie remembers that talk about being traded to Ottawa. He won't do that to Larkin.

Dylan is the face of this franchise, and that has to mean something if you are to have any credibility in this league. Guys like Foligno and Getzlaf are asked, not told, and move only if they give their consent.

As far as "generational talent", I can only think of two in recent history: Crosby and McDavid. Good luck trading for one of them.