Dylan Larkin's situation in Detroit just moved, and the Red Wings may soon have their answer.
Chris Johnston said Thursday on his show that it's “getting closer to where you could see a resolution” for Larkin.
Then came the line that will rattle Hockeytown. Johnston said he would not be surprised if the ultimate place he plays is not one of the 10 teams listed.
Read that twice. A list is supposed to narrow the field, and Johnston is hinting the field could be wider than anyone assumed.
The timing is awkward. Thursday night in Vancouver, the 30-year-old forward logged 20:09, fired two shots and finished plus-2 in a 5-2 Detroit win.
He didn't hit the scoresheet, though. Through eight games, Larkin has one goal and four assists, with two of those helpers coming on the power play.
Eight games, by the way, out of 10 on the schedule. He did not dress for the other two.
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Shawn Horcoff's first big call may land in Calgary
The man holding the pen is Shawn Horcoff, and the interim tag makes this even stranger. A franchise-altering decision could be made by someone still auditioning for the job.
Horcoff doesn't get the luxury of a quiet week either. Detroit sits at 4-3-3 with 11 points, sixth in the division and 20th overall.
Boston already has 17 points in that same division. And what happens to this locker room if the answer lands in the middle of a road trip?
Playing through a saga like this is like selling your house while you still live in it. Every dinner gets interrupted by a showing.
The rest of the top six is carrying the load. Alex DeBrincat has 12 points in 10 games, and Lucas Raymond scored twice Thursday, including the winner.
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, 21, sits at plus-10. Young depth like that makes a front office feel braver about big decisions.
Larkin's recent form tells a mixed story. Over his last five games, he's been held without a goal but has three assists.
His $8,700,000 cap hit is the highest on the Red Wings. Any resolution reshapes this roster's books overnight.
The crease is its own headache. John Gibson owns an .871 save percentage through seven appearances, and a goal differential of -2 says the margins are thin.
Here's the view from this seat: letting this drag into November is a bad idea. An interim GM can't afford to let one story swallow the whole season.
Todd McLellan still has to roll his lines Saturday in Calgary, then Monday in Edmonton. Somewhere between those two puck drops, Johnston's list could stop mattering at all.
Should an interim GM like Shawn Horcoff be the one deciding Dylan Larkin's future?
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Connor Hellebuyck saga nearing end, Friedman says; Johnston points to Hurricanes
