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Three players the Detroit Red Wings should move to make room for Larkin

By Ash Thompson

TORONTO, ON - MARCH 24: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Henrik Zetterberg
TORONTO, ON - MARCH 24: Henrik Zetterberg #40 of the Detroit Red Wings skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on March 24, 2018 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Maple Leafs defeated the Red Wings 4-3. (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Henrik Zetterberg /
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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 31: Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his second period goal while playing the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – MARCH 31: Dylan Larkin #71 of the Detroit Red Wings celebrates his second period goal while playing the Ottawa Senators at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

The Detroit Red Wings need to move heaven and earth to get Dylan Larkin signed. That is going to mean cutting the cord with some of the old guard.

The Detroit Red Wings are a bit hamstrung by Ken Holland‘s mistakes. Holland has given out ten no-trade clause laden contracts. This has made it more than a little difficult for the team to reload rapidly and get back to the promised land: the NHL playoffs. The Red Wings need to lock up Dylan Larkin.

Complicating that matter is the fact that the Wings only have just under $2.83 million in cap space for the 2017-18 season. That is not nearly enough for the team’s 22-year-old leading scorer. They are allowed to exceed the cap during the offseason, but again: TEN NO-TRADE CLAUSES!

The team has assets that they could move out to make room, but GM Ken Holland gave veterans NTC’s like he was never going to have to move on from any of them. In a fake poll of NHL GM’s that is not real, 30 of 31 would have seen the 2018 offseason as one that the Red Wings should budget in order to free up a ton of cap room for.

Holland, on the other hand, saw fit to bring in a few veteran free agents, and sign every other restricted free agent the team had before taking on the deal that will define the red Wings immediate future. In a vacuum, I like almost everything Holland has done. In context, it has brought us to the same place Holland always brings us.

The RedWings do not have enough juice to get the important deal done. Andreas Athanasiou and Anthony Mantha each got more than the Wings have left in cap space. Larkin, even on a bridge contract, is likely worth double what the Wings have to give him.

At the Power Edge Pro Camp in Toronto Larkin sounded relatively sure something was about to give.

“Something’s coming,” Larkin told the assembled throng. “I’ve told everyone I think it’ll be before training camp. It’s right there. I’m just waiting to iron out the details.”

Those details likely involve moving one of the Red Wings veteran players to make room for Larkin’s salary. Here are the three I think best serve the purpose.

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