Free Agent Frenzy on July 1 continues to draw closer and TSN.ca keeps you up to date with all the latest news and rumours as the NHL off-season heats up.
Larkin watch heats up
Last week, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reported Dylan Larkin had provided a “short list” of teams he would waive his no-move clause for to the Detroit Red Wings as he requested a trade.
Now, reports indicate that the list is comprised of only three teams - the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights. While all three are currently viewed as Stanley Cup contenders, recent splashes in the trade market have left them all short on assets to swing a deal.
Prior to the list of three being leaked, Max Bultman and Corey Pronman of The Athletic released a list of six potential trade packages for Larkin, with the Panthers and Wild among them.
From the Panthers, Pronman and Bultman suggested the Red Wings could get the ninth overall pick in this year’s draft, centre Eetu Luostarinen and forward prospect Sandis Vilmanis back in a trade for Larkin. The two note that such a trade would send the Red Wings back into the retool category after missing the playoffs in each of the past 10 seasons.
A package from the Wild was built around sending goaltender Jesper Wallstedt and prospects Danila Yurov and Charlie Stramel to the Red Wings for Larkin and goaltender Sebastian Cossa.
Bultman and Pronman also built trade offers for the Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars and Utah Mammoth.
The Golden Knights, who are two wins away from winning the Stanley Cup would need to make significant changes to swing a deal for Larkin. The team is currently projected to have just $4.6 million in cap space for next season with only 15 players currently under contract, though an additional $8.8 million will be cleared if Alex Pietrangelo remains on LTIR.
Vegas is also currently without their first and second-round draft picks in 2026 and 2027, and will lose their 2028 first-round pick to the Calgary Flames if the team wins the Stanley Cup this month as part of the Rasmus Andersson trade.
Larkin registered 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games this past season with the Red Wings. He also helped the United States claim gold at the Olympics in February, posting two goals and one assist in six games. He has reached the playoffs just once with Detroit, doing so as a rookie in 2015-16.
The 29-year-old centre is signed through 2030-31 at a cap hit of $8.7 million.
Blackhawks looking to upgrade
Chicago Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson is scouring the trade market as he looks to help his team take a step forward this summer.
“I’ve talked to every team, so [I] have a pretty good understanding of what’s going on around the league and what’s out there — and also what’s not out there,“ Davidson told the Chicago Sun-Times at the draft combine.
“We’re certainly engaged in trying to be aggressive and seeing what we can do to help the group because we believe in the group as currently constructed. We think it would be a good thing to add, if at all possible.”
The Blackhawks have missed the playoffs in each of the past six seasons, but have shown steady growth improving their point total to 72 this season after 61 the year before and 52 in 2023-24.
One position the Blackhawks will not be looking to upgrade is centre as Davidson noted the team feels set with the youthful trio of Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar and Anton Frondell down the middle.
While the team experimented with relying heavily on youth on the blue line last season, a left-handed veteran appears to be on the wish list now. The Blackhawks iced a defence core with every player 24 or younger to finish this past season after trading veteran Connor Murphy to the Edmonton Oilers.
“We wanted to see how it went,” Davidson said. “It didn’t go quite the way we were hoping to give us that full shot in the arm, that ‘set it and forget it’ [feeling]. So it’s probably something we want to at least explore.”
Davidson noted that he does not want “to not go too far blowing holes in the roster” as he looks to make trades in a complex market with far more buyers than sellers. One asset he can dangle, though, is the fourth overall pick in this month’s draft, which is garnering significant interest.
“There’s been a lot of calls to move up,” the general manager said. “It’s been a lot busier — way busier — in terms of trying to inquire about our pick at No. 4 for teams behind us than any year I’ve been doing this.“
Blue Jackets open to moving pick No. 14?
The Columbus Blue Jackets are also looking to improve this summer after missing out on the postseason once again in April.
General manager Don Waddell told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic that he has not closed the door on trading the 14th overall pick, but will only do so for a player that fits the team’s window for contention.
“I would listen (to trade offers),” Waddell said. “We’ve told everybody that we’re trying to make our team better today. I’m not trading it for a 32-year-old guy, but if the right guy comes along…”
The Blue Jackets last made the playoffs in 2020 and fell seven points shy of the a wild-card berth this year after limping to a 2-7-1 record in their final 10 games.
The team reupped head coach Rick Bowness after the season and could be in for significant changes after he laid into the team after the final game of the year.
Team captain Boone Jenner is currently slated to hit unrestricted free agency along with forwards Mason Marchment and Danton Heinen, as well as blueliners Erik Gudbranson and Brendan Smith.
