Red Wings Hold Out Dylan Larkin for Trade Reasons

This is the clearest sign yet that Dylan Larkin's time in Detroit is almost over. The Red Wings are holding their longtime center out of Thursday night's game against the Chicago Blackhawks for "trade-related" reasons, league sources told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

The stakes are simple. When a team scratches a healthy star for trade reasons, a deal is usually close, and Larkin is the biggest name on the NHL trade market right now. Coach Todd McLellan told reporters Larkin would not be in the lineup, and said interim general manager Shawn Horcoff would address the situation later. Larkin skipped Thursday's morning practice after taking what the team called a "maintenance day" on Wednesday.

How We Got Here

Larkin asked Detroit for a trade back in June, and his camp has kept pushing the Red Wings to get something done behind the scenes. He reported to training camp but was stripped of the captaincy, then rejoined the team on the ice on Oct. 6. It has been an awkward few weeks for everybody in Hockeytown.

He has still been a big piece of the lineup. Larkin has two goals and four assists in 10 games and is averaging 21:41 of ice time a night, which tells you how much Detroit has leaned on him even with all of this hanging over the room. He was the 15th pick in 2014, has played his whole career in Detroit and ranks 10th in franchise history with 649 points. For Red Wings fans, losing him like this is going to sting.

Where Larkin Could Land

Larkin has a no-trade clause, so he controls a lot of this. He started with three teams he would waive it for: the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights. Last week he expanded that list to 10, adding the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth and Washington Capitals.

Multiple teams are still in the mix, and the Wild have been one of the most aggressive. That makes a lot of sense. Minnesota has Kirill Kaprizov rolling, and a top-six center who plays 21 minutes a night would give the Wild a real one-two punch down the middle.

One thing is off the table. Even with Montreal fans chanting "We want Larkin!" when the Red Wings came to the Bell Centre, he is not looking to go to a Canadian team.

The Contract Every Suitor Is Looking At

Larkin is in the fourth year of an eight-year, $69.6 million deal with an $8.7 million cap hit. That is a big number to fit in October, which is part of why this has dragged on. Any team that lands him gets a 30-year-old center locked up for the long haul, not a rental.

For Detroit (5-4-3), the job now is getting real value back for a franchise player while trying to stay in the playoff race. That is a tough balance, and how Horcoff handles it will shape the next few seasons in Detroit.

Smacktok Pick Lean

With Larkin out tonight, we lean lower on Detroit's scoring against Chicago. He has been playing nearly 22 minutes a night as a top-line center, and the Red Wings have to replace those minutes on short notice. Once he lands somewhere, the team that gets him is the one to watch for a bump in center depth.