Red Wings interim GM says team will wait for suitable return in Dylan Larkin trade
Detroit's interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said the organization is prepared to wait for a trade that yields fair value for center Dylan Larkin, who has a no-trade clause limiting potential destinations.
Detroit Red Wings interim general manager Shawn Horcoff said the club is ready to wait for a trade that provides a satisfactory return for center Dylan Larkin, who has requested a move but limited his market with a no-trade clause. Larkin, 30, is in the fourth year of an eight-year, $69.6 million contract that carries an $8.7 million average annual value and has scored 30 goals in six seasons.
“With the teams that Dylan has on his list, it’s difficult to get something done,” Horcoff said. “A trade like this, there are significant challenges when you’re trying to put a salary like Dylan’s into a team, trying to find the right pieces to give in return. So, it’s difficult. How long it takes, I’m not sure. But I’m prepared to wait as long as necessary to make sure that the return that we get is something that is good for the Red Wings overall.”
Horcoff added that the goal is to acquire players who can contribute immediately, but the team remains open to various trade structures. He noted that expanding Larkin’s trade list, currently reported to include ten teams, could improve the odds of reaching a deal.
“There probably are certain teams in the League that, if they were on his list, it would be easier for us to come to a deal and come to an agreement,” Horcoff said.
Larkin’s agent Pat Brisson told The Athletic that the player has been professional and cooperative throughout the process. The Red Wings have not yet secured a permanent head of hockey operations after former GM Steve Yzerman’s dismissal in July, and other roster issues, such as restricted-free-agent defenseman Simon Edvinsson’s pending contract, remain unresolved.
Larkin, a former captain who recorded six points in ten games after returning from an upper-body injury, has expressed a desire to leave Detroit for a team with a stronger chance of playoff success. The Red Wings have missed the postseason for ten consecutive seasons, the longest drought in franchise history.
Horcoff acknowledged that earlier attempts to retain Larkin were unsuccessful.
“My initial plan was to try to fix it. I wanted to try to do what I could to keep Dylan here in a Red Wing jersey, and clearly I was unsuccessful doing that.”
The organization now views the trade as the most viable path forward, with the expectation that any future return will be evaluated on its overall benefit to the team.