Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic has reported that the Florida Panthers are not really in on Dylan Larkin, and haven't been at any point as far as he can tell.
That matters because Florida was one of the first three teams Larkin gave the Red Wings in June, according to NHL Rumour Report. A team on the original list is now cooling off.
NHL Rumour Report relayed LeBrun's report, which says the Panthers are loaded at center and were never seriously in the mix:
-
The timing is interesting. Larkin and the Red Wings were on the ice at Florida just last night, and Detroit won 5-3 against the very team LeBrun says isn't pursuing him.
Larkin's name has dominated the trade conversation for days. Elliotte Friedman's report on Larkin's trade list on Monday suggested the Red Wings captain may be changing his no-trade list, which could reshape his market.
Then Chris Johnston added that the Sabres made a push that Larkin wasn't willing to go for. Taken together, the list of realistic destinations keeps getting shorter.
Where Larkin's market goes from here
Florida makes sense on paper, and LeBrun's read on its center depth is hard to argue with. Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart both scored in last night's loss, and the Panthers have plenty of pieces down the middle.
Chris Johnston has said four or five of the 10 teams on Larkin's list are truly trying to get him. Johnston's breakdown of Larkin's trade market shows how thin the real competition may be.
Larkin has 6 points in 10 games this season, and Detroit sits 8th in the Atlantic Division at 7-5-3. The Red Wings have won six of their last 10, which makes a sell-off look like a hard sell for a team still hovering around the middle of the standings.
Still, a captain who has put names on a list and watched teams drop away is a captain with a shrinking field. That gives Shawn Horcoff less leverage, not more, and the Red Wings can't afford to be stuck holding an $8.7 million contract that no one wants to touch.
Detroit plays at Tampa Bay tonight, and Larkin will be in the lineup while the rumor mill keeps spinning. If LeBrun is right about Florida, the list of suitors is about to get closer to the one Johnston described.
Should the Red Wings keep Dylan Larkin if his trade market keeps shrinking?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
John Tavares is finally back on the ice, but there's one important limitation
