Detroit Red Wings Are Playing With Fire Similar to What the Boston Bruins Are Doing With David Pastrnak the Longer Contract Negotiations Continue To Drag On With Dylan Larkin.
The Detroit Red Wings are at a crossroads in their season. Detroit is still in the playoff mix in the Eastern Conference, but there is one problem. Captain Dylan Larkin, like a few other unrestricted free agents who are cornerstone pieces, does not have a contract for next season.
Larkin is in the final year of his contract which carries a salary cap hit of $6.1 million. It is expected Larkin will get between $8 million and $10 million on his next deal. Detroit currently has $5.266 million in cap space this season and has over $41 million in projected cap space for next season.
The Red Wings have 12 unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason with Larkin being the biggest name. This makes you wonder why it is taking so long for a deal to get done for Larkin.
In a recent episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast: Find for Flying on Sportsnet, Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek discuss the latest negotiations between Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings and how they see this situation being resolved.
Jeff Marek: We are talking about David Pastrnak and the Boston Bruins situation and going past the trade deadline, do you feel the same way about Dylan Larkin and Detroit? And is Detroit playing with the same fireball?
Elliotte Friedman: “What is the surest predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Look who he is negotiating with. Steve Yzerman has a line. You want to stay here, we are not going over the line. That is where I think we are there.”
It is a dangerous game the Red Wings are playing with their best player.
“I think Steve Yzerman thinks Dylan Larkin wants to be a Red Wing and as a result, Yzerman says this is where I am willing to go. And we will see where it goes. This is another one I believe is going to work out. Again if you want to leave you better be prepared to leave. You better see something out there that is real and tangible for you.”
**NHL Rumors.com Transcriptions