The Dylan Larkin saga is slated to take a sharp turn, with the former Red Wings captain now suspended without pay from the organization he has called home for the last 12 seasons. He and his agent believe it's time to finally cut the cord, given that the 30-year-old center had put in a formal trade request months and months ago.
The Devils, meanwhile, have been linked to the star pivot as recently as today, Thursday, October 29th, along with the Minnesota Wild, Washington Capitals, and Carolina Hurricanes.
It's a bit of a surprise, given that New Jersey is just a week removed from a huge trade that brought fellow Team USA member Connor Hellebuyck to the team from the Winnipeg Jets, to see that there is any sort of dialogue between Sunny Mehta and Red Wings' interim GM Shawn Horcoff. Yet, here we are -- the Devils are seemingly going to be involved in everyone.
There are two snags: the Devils might not even be able to fit him in the salary cap, and it's entirely possible that they don't have the assets the Red Wings are looking for, either. Let's start with point one: the cap.
As it stands right now, the Devils are running a 22-of-23-man roster because they're too cap-strapped to fit in a 13th forward after the Hellebuyck deal. Larkin makes $8.7 million against the cap, so there would have to be quite a bit of cap magic to be done in order to make a deal of any kind. The Devils can clear a good chunk of space -- $5.5 million -- by offloading Brenden Dillon and Stefan Noesen somewhere.
Dylan Larkin will not be an easy deal to make for the New Jersey Devils
Perhaps Detroit makes sense for one or both of them in some capacity -- their forward group is dealing with a handful of injuries, and Mehta could probably convince them of needing a veteran upgraded left-handed defenseman. Realistically speaking, though, the Devils would only be able to include one of them in the deal.
From a player perspective of who the Red Wings would actually want, the Devils probably do have a couple of fits for right now. One is Cody Glass, 27, who makes $2.5 million this season and is due a raise after 2026-27. There's also Anthony Mantha, who the Red Wings wanted in free agency, and is making $4.85 million for the next two seasons. Neither player has trade protection.
Realistically speaking, the Red Wings are likely looking for a center in the deal, so it makes sense for Glass to be included in hypotheticals. It's also likely that Detroit would be keen on some NHL-ready prospects (particularly up front), making Lenni Hämeenaho a likely target too. Plus, who wouldn't want one of Anton Silaev or Seamus Casey?
To boot, the Devils have three first-round draft picks in the next two years. The point of the story is that Detroit probably looks somewhat favorably on what the Devils hypothetically have to offer. Glass is a fourth-line center on this team right now, but has played second-line hockey when called upon and has performed perfectly fine. The problem will be far more cap-oriented than personnel-related, if I were to guess.
Perhaps Mehta pulls a rabbit out of a hat, though, and is able to once again come out of nowhere with an unexpected deal to better New Jersey's chances of winning a Cup.
Add us as a preferred source on Google