Chris Johnston just put a number on Dylan Larkin's trade market: four or five of the 10 teams on his list are truly trying to get him.
That matters because the Red Wings center has a list of 10 teams he'd accept a trade to, and nobody outside the room knows how many of them are real bidders. Johnston has been working that question for more than a week.
Johnston told listeners on his Monday show that he asked people around the league how many of those 10 teams are seriously trying to trade for Larkin.
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He said the answers he gets vary. His own read lands at four or five teams that are truly in the mix, which means roughly half the list is just a name on paper.
Larkin, 30, has 6 points in 10 games this season, including two assists on the power play. He's a 2014 first-round pick, 15th overall, and he's 278 goals deep into his career with Detroit.
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | |
| 2026-27 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +3 |
| Career | 818 | 278 | 371 | 649 | -98 |
We heard the first hint of this on Sunday, when Johnston's report on limited interest in Larkin said half the approved destinations weren't chasing him. Monday's comment puts a firmer range on it.
What a short list means for Detroit
A short list cuts both ways. Fewer serious bidders usually means less competition, and less competition rarely lifts a price.
The Red Wings are 7-5-3 and sit eighth in the Atlantic Division, with a goal differential of 0. They won 5-3 at Florida on Monday and play at Tampa Bay tonight. That isn't a roster in free fall, and it gives general manager Shawn Horcoff no reason to rush.
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | DIFF | |
| 1. Boston Bruins | 16 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 23 | +20 |
| 2. Montreal Canadiens | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 20 | +6 |
| 3. Ottawa Senators | 16 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 19 | +1 |
| 4. Tampa Bay Lightning | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 18 | +5 |
| 5. Florida Panthers | 15 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 18 | +3 |
| 6. Toronto Maple Leafs | 16 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 18 | +7 |
| 7. Buffalo Sabres | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 17 | -6 |
| 8. Detroit Red Wings | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 17 | 0 |
But waiting doesn't fix the math. If only four or five clubs are truly interested, Detroit can't count on a bidding war to improve the return, and the clock on a list like this doesn't favor the seller.
Johnston has also floated that Larkin ends up somewhere else entirely. His earlier prediction of a Larkin deal outside the list still hangs over all of this, and nothing in Monday's comments settles it.
So the question is whether any of those four or five teams moves before the Red Wings and Larkin have to decide how long to wait. Detroit's game in Tampa Bay tonight is the next one on the schedule.
Should the Red Wings trade Dylan Larkin even if only four or five teams are truly interested?
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Dylan Larkin turned down a big Sabres push
