What happens with Dylan Larkin given the search for a new GM in Detroit? Can he stay?
The Detroit Red Wings made a general manager change in mid-July. Steve Yzerman stepped down, either on his own or at the owner’s request, to become an advisor to Chris Ilitch. The key is that Yzerman only reports to the owner and has no involvement in hockey operations.
Can Dylan Larkin Remain With the Detroit Red Wings Next Season?
However, as the Red Wings did with the search for a new general manager, the Dylan Larkin trade request remains active. They have not found a suitor and may not find one. So the Red Wings are working two fronts at the same time.
But as Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press noted on her appearance on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio on Monday, the situation revolving Larkin is a delicate one, as right now there is no timetable to hire a new GM, but ideally they have one in place ahead of the season.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Host: “Now these hours do replay throughout the course of the summer and into early September, so maybe we do get this answer before it’s all said and done. But I’m very curious in terms of a timeline on a general manager and the hiring process here. Where are we at right now on that, Helene? Because I think a lot of fans are interested. Obviously, I’m sure Dylan Larkin’s interested as well, waiting for a potential trade. But where are we at on a timeline in terms of finding the next general manager?”
Helene St. James: “Yeah, they’ve hired a search firm as I wrote last week, and my understanding is they’re still going through candidates and expected to begin interviewing soon, so it doesn’t sound like there’s going to be an announcement as soon as this week. Certainly, that could change, but you’d think they’d want one in place as soon as possible, and then this guy immediately comes in and has to sort out the whole thing with Dylan.
NHL Rumors: Detroit Looking For Multiple Assets for Dylan Larkin
I’ve said all along. I’m a proponent of Chris Ilitch and Dylan Larkin and his agent meeting and coming to terms. Kind of having a (Zach) Werenski-(Don) Waddell moment. Because at this point, unless Dylan expands his list or the Wings just end up trading him for the sake of trading him, which would be terrible.
I mean, he has again a great cap hit at 8.7, and they’ve already paid him an actual salary, the most amount. He’s already made $31 million on his contract in actual salary. The most he makes the rest of the way is $8 million in the first three years, I think, of what’s left of a five-year deal. He has a great, great contract.
So in every respect, they want to come away, the Wings need to come away believing they’ve won that trade. So, and as Steve pointed out when he talked about it after the draft, he said, “I didn’t guarantee that I would trade him. I mean, teams aren’t obligated to do so. So, there’s just that that is such a delicate situation to sort out for whoever comes in next.”
NHLRumors.com Note: It seems like the Detroit Red Wings knew what they were doing moving up Steve Yzerman to a consultant role. They are trying to appease Dylan Larkin, who still has his trade request in with management.
NHL Rumors: Could Dylan Larkin Start the Season with the Detroit Red Wings?
There needs to be a lot of convincing, but as Helene St. James noted, if they can get to a point where they can reconcile with Larkin as the Columbus Blue Jackets did with Zach Werenski, the organization would be in better shape.
The Red Wings are in a better position with Larkin on the team. They need to show him that Yzerman is no longer associated with the team outside of his role to the owner. Given the asking price for their number one center, it appears Dylan Larkin is staying in Detroit. There is still time for things to get done ahead of training camp.
It is a storyline that will not be going away anytime soon.
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