Larkin’s Trade Value Just Went Up, and Yzerman Has a DeBrincat Problem

Elliotte Friedman’s latest 32 Thoughts podcast touched every team and their free agency moves. Among the conversations was the drama in Detroit where a Red Wings team is sitting at a genuine crossroads. Specifically, there are updates on Dylan Larkin and his trade value. There is also talk about Alex DeBrincat‘s future with the team.

The details paint a picture of a front office being careful, deliberate, and increasingly picky about how to approach what could be critical moves for their franchise.

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The Larkin Situation Just Got More Complicated

Start with Dylan Larkin.

According to Friedman, the fallout from the Leo Carlsson offer sheet has actually driven Larkin’s trade value up, giving GM Steve Yzerman more reason to hold a hard line in any trade talks. Friedman doesn’t sense Yzerman is eager to start the season with a lingering distraction, but he’s equally clear that no trade is better than a bad one.

The most telling detail: Yzerman reportedly wants NHL-ready players back in any Larkin deal, not draft picks or prospects. Friedman notes that if futures were an acceptable return, this trade likely would have been done already. That’s a real signal about what kind of return would actually get a deal across the line.

Other Names on the Move

Separately, Patrick Kane‘s free-agency situation remains murky — Friedman said there’s no clear sense of where Kane ultimately lands, though he doesn’t expect a reunion with Detroit to be in the cards.

Toronto, Buffalo, and other destinations could be fits for the veteran. He’s likely to sign a bonus-heavy deal with a contender or a team that holds personal meaning to him.

When it comes to Alex DeBrincat, Friedman suggests there is real hesitation to sign him to a big extension. Yzerman reportedly doesn’t like the scale of contracts being handed out across the league right now, and it’s genuinely unclear how comfortable he’ll be paying DeBrincat full market rate as a free agent. Could that lead to a trade? DeBrincat is in the final season of a contract that would see him become a UFA. The Red Wings would rather get a decent return than let him walk.

That discomfort in Detroit seems to be that Yzerman has real concern over the pace at which player salaries have been climbing. In DeBrincat’s case, aging players don’t always hold their value, and a team can get stuck holding an expensive contract long after the production that justified it has faded.

This might mean that Yzerman could look at deals to trade players while their values are high. He would then hang on to contracts like Lucas Raymond‘s, which “suddenly looks extremely good.” Moritz Seider‘s deal may be among the best value contracts anywhere in the league.

In a market where teams are increasingly nervous about term and rising costs, it could be that both Larkin and DeBrincat get moved.

Next: Insider Says Maple Leafs Are Eyeing Another Difference Maker