Dylan Larkin visits the Bell Centre tonight, and some in Montreal want Canadiens fans to roll out the red carpet for a player who might not want to come.
BPM Sports hosts Renaud Lavoie and Georges Laraque have urged fans to cheer Larkin during introductions and every time he touches the puck.
They even want "We want Larkin!" chants, hoping the noise convinces him to take Montreal off his no-trade list.
Elliotte Friedman sees the fit. "He would be God there. That would be a perfect place for him. Suzuki and him as the one-two punch?"
Friedman also pointed to Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield, two Americans "very happy and thriving there," on a team he called on the way up.
The catch is real. It has been reported several times that Larkin didn't want to play in Canada, and no cheering section can erase that on its own.
Kent Hughes keeps missing on targets as Larkin dangles
Kent Hughes has watched his two biggest reported targets go elsewhere. Matthew Knies landed in Columbus, and Kirill Marchenko is now a Maple Leaf.
Larkin, 30, carries an $8,700,000 cap hit and has two points in two games since returning.
Nick Suzuki already has seven points through four games, so that one-two punch looks tempting on paper.
There's a cautionary tale too. In 2005, the Oilers acquired Chris Pronger, who led them to a Stanley Cup Final before requesting a trade for family reasons.
Hughes can't let chants make this decision. Paying a huge price for a player who doesn't truly want to be in Montreal is how a franchise ends up with an Oilers-style regret.
The whole campaign is like serenading someone under their window after they've already told you they'd rather not move to your town.
The Canadiens are 1-2-1 after a 5-2 loss to Nashville. Detroit arrives at 1-3-0.
Tonight, the Bell Centre gets to make its pitch. Whether Larkin is listening, or just playing hockey, is the question nobody in Montreal can answer yet.
Should Canadiens fans chant for Dylan Larkin tonight?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Hellebuyck confirms he would waive his NTC to join struggling team as Elliotte Friedman adds to major update
