Larkin wants out?

[buddha]

53 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

These rumors are troubling but just rumors. I could see how Stevie would not want to trade for Robertson without an extension in place, just like with Hughes. I could also see that he would not want to have $25 million tied up in two wingers with no clear 1C or even 2C.

Ultimately, though, Chris Ilitch signs the checks. It would be very weird if Chris said, “I would pay $11x8 for Debrincat” and Yzerman said, “I won’t do it. He’s not worth it.” So what are the budget parameters under which Stevie is operating?

i doubt steve and chris have those types of conversations.  owners arent normally getting involved in salary negotiations on that granular level.

since we drafted a center in the top 10 in two consecutive drafts 2-3 years ago, and signed 2 centers in free agency in the last 3 years, the fact that the team needs to trade dylan larkin for another center rather than one of the best right wings in hockey also falls squarely on steve yzerman's shoulders.

again, if yzerman wont deal for robertson because he has no assurance that robertson will sign here long term, that's ok (even if part of the reason he won't is because of the middling roster yzerman assembled which has no shot at a stanley cup anytime soon).  but if we dont trade for him because we dont want to spend too much on wings without a center...well....WHAT CENTER ARE YOU GOING TO SIGN?

mavrick bourque was there and you didnt move.  shane wright is there and you wont move.  what do you want?  conor mcdavid to land on your lap?  

oh wait, is conor mcdavid actually a 200 foot player?  if not, dont want him, he's overpaid.

[buddha]

pat verbeek grinds his players on salary like yzerman.  he could have paid carlsson 12.5 but he had to be a hardass and drive him down even more to save another couple of nickles.

now he's paying $18 right until he becomes a ufa.  congrats pat, you should be fired.

if yzerman continues the same "grind em down" attitude moving forward, and refusing to pay salaries he deems "too large" so he cant sign any good free agents, or trade for any good restricted free agents and then sign them, then he's going to continue to fail.

this isnt 2015, or even 2023.  the cap has gone up too much.  the landscape has changed.

[Shinzaki]

Without a contract...you aren't trading for Robertson, your trading gor the right to match or not match his offer sheet..if he gets one.

Seems like  dicey return for your best C.

You could just sign him to see if Dallas matches...then you can keep Larkin if they don't match.  All you'll be out is draft picks and cap space...then you still have to sign Simon and Cat for bigger$$

For me, the only way Dallas works is for Hintz.  And since he's coming off a hamstring tear, ya gotta throw in Harley

Edited July 10 by Shinzaki

[Jason_R]

Nobody knows what conversation Steve and Chris have had about the budget. Nobody knows the budget limit that Chris has set for Steve. Nobody knows if Chris has given Steve a limit on how much he can pay any specific player whether in dollars or in term. Especially in light of the EP 40 contract, I can see plenty of owners interested in being aware of contract terms for very highly paid players. Owners do not become billionaires by paying no attention to how their employees spend tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Though, of course, it might be said that some owners come by their billions of dollars by inheriting them. In any case, I don’t find it at all plausible that Chris has never said a word to Steve about player salary structure. 

[gehringer_2]

6 minutes ago, Jason_R said:

Nobody knows what conversation Steve and Chris have had about the budget. Nobody knows the budget limit that Chris has set for Steve. Nobody knows if Chris has given Steve a limit on how much he can pay any specific player whether in dollars or in term. Especially in light of the EP 40 contract, I can see plenty of owners interested in being aware of contract terms for very highly paid players. Owners do not become billionaires by paying no attention to how their employees spend tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Though, of course, it might be said that some owners come by their billions of dollars by inheriting them. In any case, I don’t find it at all plausible that Chris has never said a word to Steve about player salary structure. 

I would like to believe that if Yzerman doesn't find a (relatively) positive outcome of this whole situation, that Yzerman ends up following Larkin out of town. That's what I think a good owner would do - give his guy a chance to work out of the mess and lower the hammer if he doesn't. 

Of course Buddha will dispute the premise that Ilitch is a good owner, and maybe he is right. Either way, good or bad I think any owner is going to be unhappy about the black eye his franchise is getting. It's not like Dylan Larkin is a player with a history of being a loose screw. When your long time captain with no history of being anything but a stand up guy bails on your team, it's just not a good look and it doesn't make it any easier to land other good players. My pure speculation would that Larkin is in close enough contact with Hughes to know if the Wings ever made a serious bid to get him, and that if they didn't that was the last straw in his belief that Yzerman would do enough to build a winner here.

[Shinzaki]

Larkin seems to only want to go to teams who don't have the assets to make a deal that works for Detroit.  Columbus could work...possibly San Jose...Utah maybe?

 

[buddha]

1 hour ago, Shinzaki said:

Without a contract...you aren't trading for Robertson, your trading gor the right to match or not match his offer sheet..if he gets one.

Seems like  dicey return for your best C.

You could just sign him to see if Dallas matches...then you can keep Larkin if they don't match.  All you'll be out is draft picks and cap space...then you still have to sign Simon and Cat for bigger$$

For me, the only way Dallas works is for Hintz.  And since he's coming off a hamstring tear, ya gotta throw in Harley

what does hintz do for the red wings?  just makes them exactly what they were last year, maybe a little worse.

what's the point?

but i think yzerman would do that if he insists on getting back current nhl players and wont take any futures.  which is a huge mistake, imo.

[buddha]

yzerman seems to want to trade larkin for a larkin.  teams that want larkin - that he would accept a trade to - are trying to win a cup and IMPROVE.  theyre not going to trade a really good player off their roster for larkin.  

[buddha]

59 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I would like to believe that if Yzerman doesn't find a (relatively) positive outcome of this whole situation, that Yzerman ends up following Larkin out of town. That's what I think a good owner would do - give his guy a chance to work out of the mess and lower the hammer if he doesn't. 

Of course Buddha will dispute the premise that Ilitch is a good owner, and maybe he is right. Either way, good or bad I think any owner is going to be unhappy about the black eye his franchise is getting. It's not like Dylan Larkin is a player with a history of being a loose screw. When your long time captain with no history of being anything but a stand up guy bails on your team, it's just not a good look and it doesn't make it any easier to land other good players. My pure speculation would that Larkin is in close enough contact with Hughes to know if the Wings ever made a serious bid to get him, and that if they didn't that was the last straw in his belief that Yzerman would do enough to build a winner here.

i think a lot of fans blame larkin for what is happening and not yzerman since it is larkin who is demanding a trade.

[Shinzaki]

17 minutes ago, buddha said:

what does hintz do for the red wings?  just makes them exactly what they were last year, maybe a little worse.

what's the point?

but i think yzerman would do that if he insists on getting back current nhl players and wont take any futures.  which is a huge mistake, imo.

Hintz and Harley...Harley gives you a good young 2nd pairing LHD.

[buddha]

14 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

Hintz and Harley...Harley gives you a good young 2nd pairing LHD.

why would dallas do that?  a small upgrade at center and you lose a top 4 defenseman.

[gehringer_2]

35 minutes ago, buddha said:

i think a lot of fans blame larkin for what is happening and not yzerman since it is larkin who is demanding a trade.

That's fair from an emotional standpoint, but immaterial as a practical matter. If Larkin had suffered a career ending injury, Yzerman would still have the same basic decisions about how to move the team forward. That was my point earlier about the fact that if Yzerman's idea is that the only outcome he can accept is that the team suffer no set-back,  he's delusional. The team has already suffered the loss. It does Yzerman no more good to be mad about Larkin wanting out than to be mad about a player injury and he can't let it color his strategy to deal with it. He can say "Larkin has a contract"  - it doesn't fix what's broke.

Edited July 10 by gehringer_2

[gehringer_2]

I suppose there is always the possibility they all figure out a way to patch things up, but at the post draft presser it sounded like the only communication has been through Larkin's agent. 

[1984Echoes]

3 minutes ago, gehringer_2 said:

I suppose there is always the possibility they all figure out a way to patch things up, but at the post draft presser it sounded like the only communication has been through Larkin's agent. 

And exactly how is Yzerman going to patch up a soft roster that routinely misses the playoffs each by wilting in February-March-April?

With the sideways non-moves made this offseason? By trading Cossa for JP Hurlbert? By losing Kane to free agency?

I don't see Larking feeling like any moves were made to get him the extra help he needs (or that he believes the current roster needs) to get this team into the playoffs and therefore... things are now "patched up" (NOT). At least from his perspective (obviously conjecture on my part to what he is thinking/ feeling...)

But anyways, that's how I see it...

[buddha]

3 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

That's fair from an emotional standpoint, but immaterial as a practical matter. If Larkin had suffered a career ending injury, Yzerman would still have the same basic decisions about how to move the team forward. That was my point earlier about the fact that if Yzerman's idea is that the only outcome he can accept is that the team suffer no set-back,  he's delusional. The team has already suffered the loss. It does Yzerman no more good to be mad about Larkin wanting out than to be mad about a player injury and he can't let it color his strategy to deal with it. He can say "Larkin has a contract"  - it doesn't fix what's broke.

your idea is that he should settle for pennies on the dollar because, well, larkin demanded a trade.  what can we do?  might as well give him away for a pair of bottom sixers and a 2039 first round pick.  after all, the lockeroom will be mad if he comes back.

i think people here are overvaluing larkin, but i dont think yzerman must - or should - trade him for nothing to a team on his list.  

play chicken and win.  if larkin wants to sit out, so be it.  we're not trading him for stramel, yurov, and some future picks.  larkin can rot before that happens.

[buddha]

5 hours ago, Jason_R said:

Nobody knows what conversation Steve and Chris have had about the budget. Nobody knows the budget limit that Chris has set for Steve. Nobody knows if Chris has given Steve a limit on how much he can pay any specific player whether in dollars or in term. Especially in light of the EP 40 contract, I can see plenty of owners interested in being aware of contract terms for very highly paid players. Owners do not become billionaires by paying no attention to how their employees spend tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. Though, of course, it might be said that some owners come by their billions of dollars by inheriting them. In any case, I don’t find it at all plausible that Chris has never said a word to Steve about player salary structure. 

 

[Jason_R]

38 minutes ago, buddha said:

 

I just saw this and was about to post it. I trust that Keith knows what is going on behind the scenes. 

[gehringer_2]

2 hours ago, buddha said:

your idea is that he should settle for pennies on the dollar because, well, larkin demanded a trade

do you really think all they were offered before the draft was pennies on the dollar? Yes- now Yzerman is boxed in because no team sees much point in trading like for like and the only thing the Wings want is help at center. Yzerman's job is to make the team better, not make sure everyone gets the right points scored on the cosmic justice scale. That may win the interwebs, but how does it win the Wings any games?

The tweet is probably right that Yzerman has pretty much an infinite amount of rope from ilitch, so  I guess as fans we need to set our expectations accordingly.

Edited July 11 by gehringer_2

[buddha]

6 hours ago, gehringer_2 said:

do you really think all they were offered before the draft was pennies on the dollar? Yes- now Yzerman is boxed in because no team sees much point in trading like for like and the only thing the Wings want is help at center. Yzerman's job is to make the team better, not make sure everyone gets the right points scored on the cosmic justice scale. That may win the interwebs, but how does it win the Wings any games?

The tweet is probably right that Yzerman has pretty much an infinite amount of rope from ilitch, so  I guess as fans we need to set our expectations accordingly.

yeah, i do think all minnesota, vegas, and florida have left to offer is pennies on the dollar.  they spent their trade chips for hughes, tkachuk, and others already.

if reports of yzerman wanting players who can contribute now is true, then i think he's going about it the wrong way because those teams arent going to give up current value to get larkin.  also, this is a chance for the wings to re-set around more young players and draft capital because his original rebuild has failed.  accepting a rope hintz doesnt help that, it just futher mires the wings in mediocrity.

the only team left with any player who has current nhl'ers IS dallas.  the only difference maker available is jason robertson.  but apparently they dont want him either.

i think he's backed himself into a corner.  as has larkin with his insistence on being traded to play with his friends.  but with that said, the only possible deal he could have accepted from minny or vegas waa for pennies on the dollar.  florida theoretically could have offered what they did for tkachuk, but they were always going to go after tkachuk before larkin because of the family aspect.

[Jason_R]

2 hours ago, buddha said:

they were always going to go after tkachuk before larkin because of the family aspect.

Maybe Larkin should have demanded to be adopted by Keith Tkachuk.

[Jason_R]

I agree that Yzerman has backed himself into a corner.

Over time he has apparently put out the vibe of being a hard guy to play for and now this is underscored by the departure of his homegrown captain, not to mention a top goalie prospect and a few other players who underperformed in Detroit and found another gear elsewhere.

I understand why he would have wanted to retool rather than rebuild after the Larkin demand, but that was always going to be a narrow path. If he has just been sitting on his hands waiting for Billy G. or Pat Brisson to bring him a deal, that is a little bit clueless. 

I also understand why he might have been reluctant to trade Larkin for Robertson without an extension or a promise of one -- and without a center. But you have to read the room, Stevie. There is not an equivalent player available. So take the trade then put faith in your young centers to set up three elite wingers in Raymond, Debrincat, and Robertson. Make yourself an attractive destination for a FA center. 

If he could have had Robertson for $15 million and didn't take him because he didn't want to write the check, Chris I. needs to stage an intervention. 

[lordstanley]

I’m fatigued. 

[Shinzaki]

On 7/10/2026 at 6:11 PM, buddha said:

why would dallas do that?  a small upgrade at center and you lose a top 4 defenseman.

What do you think Dallas should give up?

Edited July 13 by Shinzaki

[NorthWoods]

On 7/10/2026 at 2:29 PM, Mr.TaterSalad said:

 I'm not fully ready to say fire Yzerman yet as I was with Holland. But I'm on the cusp of it.

The Detroit Sports World awaits.

[buddha]

53 minutes ago, Shinzaki said:

What do you think Dallas should give up?

robertson.  its a great winger they wont be able to re-sign in exchange for a good center on a great contract.

if i were yzerman, that's probably the best deal i'm going to get.