- Red Wings assistant GM Kris Draper was at the Capitals’ game against the Wild on Sunday
- It was his second Washington stop in five days while Dylan Larkin sits out until he’s traded
- Read below for what Elliotte Friedman and Pierre LeBrun have said about the Capitals and Ilya Protas
Red Wings assistant general manager Kris Draper was back in Washington on Sunday, and the Capitals are still firmly in the Dylan Larkin trade picture.
RMNB spotted Draper on the press box seating chart for the Capitals’ matinee against the Wild. Minnesota won it 5-1. Check out the post:
It was the second time in five days Draper has shown up at Capital One Arena. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on the 32 Thoughts podcast Thursday that Draper was there Wednesday for Washington’s 5-2 win over the Flyers. Friedman said the Capitals are on Larkin’s 10-team trade list and that Draper is likely looking at one of the Protas brothers.
Here’s the Friedman note:
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic had already put Washington in the conversation. He addressed the Capitals in his Thursday rumblings column and wrote that Washington has “engaged to some level,” though he could not tell how hard the Capitals have pushed. LeBrun also named Ilya Protas as “an obvious target for Detroit in any package.”
The Wild are the loudest suitor so far. LeBrun said on TSN that no team has tried harder to get Larkin than Minnesota, and we reported the Wild offered multiple first-round picks. Watch LeBrun’s comments:
Larkin told the Red Wings he won’t play until he is traded, and Detroit later suspended him without pay. He has six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 games this season.
The Capitals made two moves before Sunday’s game, sending a draft pick to the Devils for goaltender Rémi Poirier and placing defenseman Dylan McIlrath on waivers. Washington now carries 14 forwards, six defensemen and three goaltenders, so the roster has room to add.
The other eight teams on Larkin’s list are the Golden Knights, Panthers, Avalanche, Lightning, Stars, Mammoth, Hurricanes and Devils.
