- TSN’s Darren Dreger says the Bruins want to get on Dylan Larkin’s list of approved trade destinations
- Larkin’s list is still the same 10 teams, and the Red Wings say no offer from that group has been good enough
- Read below for where Boston and Montreal stand and what Detroit’s scouts are doing
The Bruins want in on the Dylan Larkin trade chase.
TSN insider Darren Dreger said Tuesday on Early Trading that Boston would like to get added to Larkin’s list of teams he’d accept a trade to, the same position the Montreal Canadiens are in.
Dreger also made clear nothing has changed yet. Larkin’s list is still the same 10 teams: Minnesota, Vegas, Florida, Dallas, Tampa Bay, Colorado, Washington, Carolina, New Jersey and Utah.
Watch Dreger break it down on Early Trading:
Dreger was asked about the Red Wings scouts who keep turning up in different press boxes. He said Detroit’s director of pro scouting, Kris Draper, was in Boston for the Bruins and Golden Knights game on Monday night. The scouts have also covered the Canadiens recently and are expected in Toronto for Utah’s game against the Maple Leafs.
Detroit isn’t happy with what it’s been offered. Dreger said the Red Wings would have you believe no offer from the 10 teams has been good enough, even with ongoing talks between interim GM Shawn Horcoff and other general managers.
Neither Bruins GM Don Sweeney nor Canadiens GM Kent Hughes has gotten very far, either. Dreger said the Red Wings haven’t gone to Larkin’s agents at CAA with a deal for a team outside the list and asked if he’d approve it. CAA, led by Pat Brisson, believes a deal can be found among the 10 teams Larkin already picked.
Boston has the room to make something work. The Bruins lead the Atlantic Division at 11-4-1 and have $7.9 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia. Larkin carries an $8.7 million cap hit through 2030-31 and has a full no-trade clause.
Their center group right now is Pavel Zacha, Fraser Minten, Elias Lindholm and Matthew Poitras, who took an elbow to the face Monday night. Larkin would bump all of them down a spot.
This isn’t the only club kicking the tires. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported Tuesday that Montreal and Buffalo have both checked in, and Hughes last spoke with Horcoff going into the weekend. Elliotte Friedman said over the weekend that Larkin could change or add to his list, as we covered in our Friedman piece.
Larkin asked out in June and has been sitting at home since Oct. 29. The Red Wings suspended him without pay after he walked away from the team. Draper’s road trip also took him to Washington twice in five days, which we tracked here.
Boston and Montreal both have pieces to pitch. Neither one gets a call from Detroit until Larkin says yes.
