Frank Seravalli believes the Bruins could sneak into the Dylan Larkin trade conversation, even though Boston isn't on his 10-team list.
That's a fresh wrinkle for a Red Wings season that keeps sliding. Detroit has lost four straight and sits 26th in the NHL at 7-9-3, and Larkin's name keeps coming up as the team heads into tonight's game at Florida.
Seravalli made the comments on Monday. "They might be a team that could sneak into this Dylan Larkin conversation," he said. "I know they wanna be in the mix; I don't know why."
Read that last part again, because it matters. Seravalli is confident Boston wants in, but he can't explain the motivation, and he pointed out that the Bruins aren't among the 10 teams on Larkin's list.
The Bruins are not shopping from a position of need. Marco Sturm's team is 13-4-1, first in the Atlantic Division, and has won four straight heading into tonight's home game against Montreal.
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | DIFF | |
| 1. Boston Bruins | 18 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 27 | +27 |
| 2. Tampa Bay Lightning | 18 | 12 | 4 | 2 | 26 | +15 |
| 3. Montreal Canadiens | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 26 | +7 |
| 4. Ottawa Senators | 19 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 24 | +3 |
| 5. Florida Panthers | 19 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 22 | +4 |
| 6. Buffalo Sabres | 18 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 19 | -12 |
| 7. Toronto Maple Leafs | 20 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 18 | -3 |
| 8. Detroit Red Wings | 19 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 17 | -8 |
Boston's name was already tied to the Red Wings center in David Pagnotta's report on Toronto's first-round pick, so Seravalli's comment adds to a story that was already building.
Why a Dylan Larkin trade to Boston would be complicated
Larkin is 30, a Waterford, Michigan native drafted 15th overall by Detroit in 2014. He has 6 points in 10 games this season and carries an $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31.
That is a long commitment for a Bruins team that is already winning with a +27 goal differential. Don Sweeney would be paying for a center when his club is first in its division, and we think that's a hard sell unless the price is very reasonable.
The list is the other hurdle. A team not on it has to get Larkin's buy-in, and Seravalli's own uncertainty about Boston's interest suggests the Bruins are still a long way from the front of the line.
Meanwhile, the sticking points haven't gone away. David Pagnotta's update on the main Larkin roadblock lays out where the talks stood on Wednesday.
Detroit plays at Florida tonight, and Boston hosts Montreal. Larkin's name will keep moving whichever way those games go.
This article was written with the help of artificial intelligence, based on public reports and official sources.
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