While the Montreal Canadiens faithful expressed their interest in Dylan Larkin on Saturday night, the feeling is not mutual as of now.
The Detroit Red Wings forward has expanded his approved trade list as he continues to look for a move, but TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports the list still does not include the Canadiens.
“I can tell you that I checked on this day to see if there was perhaps a little change of heart from Dylan Larkin as far as adding a new team to his list, i.e. Montreal. No, his list has not changed despite the love-in from Saturday night,” LeBrun explained Tuesday on Insider Trading. “It is at 10 teams, which has expanded from the beginning, but does not include Montreal at this point.
“But I will tell you this. Obviously, the Canadiens have tried to swing big, right? They tried to swing a big trade for Matthew Knies last March at the deadline. We know how hard they tried on Marchenko from Columbus. They would be ready to engage with the Red Wings if Dylan Larkin had a change of heart. But the Habs can also be patient here. I mean, they got Michael Hage coming at the end of the year. This is not a desperate situation where they have to make that home-run trade. They know they can still grow internally.
“Here’s the thing. Would Larkin change his mind over time? What if he’s still a Red Wing in three months? What if his level of frustration grows? Maybe he has a change of heart. We’ll see.”
Canadiens fans chanted “We want Larkin” during their team’s 1-0 shootout victory on Saturday.
The 30-year-old centre, who has one goal and one assist in four games amid the franchise’s 1-3-2 start, said after postgame he was surprised by the reaction after being booed to open the season in Detroit.
“It was interesting,” Larkin said Saturday. “I never would have imagined that in this building and in my career. They are passionate fans.”
“I’m not going to go there because I am on this team,” he added when asked if the chants could make him consider approving a move to the Canadiens. “We just played against Montreal. I think The Athletic’s poll around the league have this building ranked pretty high, so I’m not the only guy that feels that way about playing here.”
Larkin’s future remains in limbo. No move materialized after his trade request became public in June and he was stripped of the team’s captaincy ahead of training camp.
He was not among the six players included a leadership meeting for the Red Wings earlier this week, a clear indication of his precarious place with the team.
Larkin is in the fourth season of an eight-year, $69.6 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $8.7 million.