David Pagnotta of DFO just said the Dylan Larkin standoff with the Red Wings could run until U.S. Thanksgiving.
Larkin was the 15th overall pick of Detroit in 2014, and he's piled up 278 goals over 818 NHL games. He's also producing this season, with 6 points in 10 games and a +3 rating.
The Red Wings, meanwhile, lost 2-1 to the Golden Knights last night and have dropped two straight. They sit at 7-7-3, which is hardly the record of a team that can shrug off a long distraction.
That record puts Detroit 20th in the NHL and eighth in the Atlantic Division.
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | DIFF | |
| 1. Boston Bruins | 17 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 25 | +24 |
| 2. Montreal Canadiens | 16 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 23 | +6 |
| 3. Tampa Bay Lightning | 15 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 22 | +10 |
| 4. Ottawa Senators | 17 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 21 | +2 |
| 5. Florida Panthers | 16 | 9 | 5 | 2 | 20 | +5 |
| 6. Toronto Maple Leafs | 17 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 18 | +6 |
| 7. Buffalo Sabres | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 17 | -7 |
| 8. Detroit Red Wings | 17 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 | -3 |
Pagnotta said both sides are firm in their positioning, and that he expects one of them to concede by U.S. Thanksgiving, even if he isn't sure the process stretches that far.
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This didn't come out of nowhere. Pierre LeBrun's report on the Red Wings pushing Dylan Larkin and his agents to open up his list of teams again already showed how far apart the sides were.
Why a Thanksgiving timeline changes the Red Wings' season
Three more weeks of limbo is a bad look for a team that's 20th in the league and has already lost its last two. Larkin is signed through 2030-2031, so nothing forces either side to move quickly, and that's exactly the problem.
Todd McLellan's group plays at Colorado on Saturday, with the standoff still hanging over the room. Detroit's goal differential is -3, which means every one-goal loss like last night's keeps the pressure on.
Larkin's season so far looks like this.
| GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | |
| 2026-27 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | +3 |
| Career | 818 | 278 | 371 | 649 | -98 |
Other teams are watching too. The Utah Mammoth's interest in Larkin was reported yesterday, with the idea that the price could drop if the wait drags on.
Whether Detroit or Larkin gives ground first will decide how many more games this plays out around, and the Red Wings are in Colorado on Saturday to start finding out.
Should the Red Wings trade Dylan Larkin rather than wait out the standoff?
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