One of the top trade targets still available at this point in the summer is Detroit Red Wings' Dylan Larkin. Their top center requested a trade a few months ago, and the Red Wings have not been able to meet that request yet.
The inability of the Red Wings to make a deal is due in part to the player's no-trade clause. On Thursday, there were conflicting reports with Ansar Khan of MLive writing that Larkin expanded the list of teams he would waive his clause for to include the Dallas Stars. However, Helene St. James had reported later in the day that the list remained unchanged and still only included the Golden Knights, the Wild, and the Florida Panthers.
Montreal Canadiens and Dylan Larkin seem to be a perfect match
Regardless of whether or not Larkin expanded his list, the longer this stalemate goes on, the better it is for the Montreal Canadiens. At some point, there needs to be some kind of resolution, and the Red Wings probably don't want this to linger into the season.
Larkin has established himself as a top center over 11 seasons with the Red Wings, and this past season had 34 goals and 33 assists. However, the trade request probably has a lot to do with the team's lack of success during his time in Detroit, as he has had only one playoff appearance in his career, which was his rookie season in 2015-16.
The Canadiens have now made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons and have gotten as far as the Eastern Conference Final. They have their core locked in over multiple seasons, and these are younger players who should only continue to develop.
For the Canadiens, they want a player who is still in their prime but also has term on their contract. Larkin has that with five seasons left on his current deal with a full no-trade clause this season and next, followed by 10-team no-trade lists for the final three seasons.
There are still plenty of hurdles to overcome to get a deal done, as Larkin would need to expand his list to include Montreal. After that, it is up to the two teams to work out a trade, which is not easy between two division rivals.
However, the roster needs of the Canadiens make Larkin a perfect fit, and Montreal's seemingly set up to be a playoff team for the foreseeable future should make them a team that Larkin wants to join. The Canadiens might need to be patient, but shouldn't give up on trying to make a trade for the Red Wings' center.
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