Dylan Larkin started the summer with a three-team list. Days before the season, the former Red Wings captain has reportedly opened it to around eight.
Elliotte Friedman said on 32 Thoughts that the list now includes Colorado, Washington and, he suspects, Dallas and Tampa Bay.
"I think it's more now," Friedman said. "I don't know how big that list is... I think it's somewhere around 8."
That's a big jump. He reportedly used his no-movement clause this summer to limit Detroit to Vegas, Minnesota and Florida.
He asked out while still wearing the C, and that didn't sit well with a lot of Red Wings fans.
A September 17 press conference only made it louder. It didn't do his trade value any favors, either.
So is this a change of heart, or a player who wants out before the home crowd gets its say?
Red Wings star Dylan Larkin now open to eight trade destinations
None of the original three were in a position to make Detroit an offer that made sense for the franchise, per the report.
The money doesn't make it easy. The Golden Knights already pay Jack Eichel $13,500,000, and the Wild carry Kirill Kaprizov at $17,000,000.
Florida's Aleksander Barkov sits at $10,000,000, the 30th-biggest cap hit in the league.
Whoever lands Larkin takes on an $8,700,000 cap hit through 2030-31.
The production hasn't dipped. He scored 34 goals last season.
He's also played just five career playoff games, all of them back in 2015-16.
The Red Wings shouldn't blink just because the calendar is running out. Moving a top center at a discount because the fans are angry would be a bad trade.
It's like trying to sell concert tickets an hour before the show. The buyers know you're in a hurry, and they price it in.
Todd McLellan's group, 2-0-1 this preseason, hosts Columbus tonight.
The Red Wings then open the regular season October 2 against the Rangers at Little Caesars Arena.
If nothing gets done by then, Larkin finds out exactly how that building feels about him. That might be the only deadline that matters now.
Should the Red Wings trade Dylan Larkin before opening night even if it means taking less?
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