The Red Wings are stuck on Dylan Larkin, and Elliotte Friedman thinks the Simon Edvinsson situation could be the key that finally unlocks it.
Speaking on 32 Thoughts, Friedman laid out the idea: "If I was Detroit, we're stuck on this Dylan Larkin situation."
Then came the twist. Moving Edvinsson might land "something that we couldn't get for Larkin, and now we can change our parameters of a Larkin deal."
In plain terms, one trade could fill the hole that's been blocking the other. A young piece from an Edvinsson deal might let Detroit lower its Larkin ask.
The asks have been very different. Frank Seravalli reported Detroit is open to prospects, picks or young roster players for Edvinsson, while the Larkin price boiled down to another star coming back.
Shawn Horcoff spent the weekend canvassing the market, and Utah is among the teams with the most interest, per Seravalli.
Shawn Horcoff has to turn Detroit's mess into a real reset
The franchise needs a turnaround badly. The Red Wings are 0-2-0, fans chanted "sell the team" at the home opener, and tickets for tonight's game against Ottawa were going for as little as $14.
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Larkin was booed as he was introduced with the scratches on opening night. He reportedly requested a trade this summer and lost the captaincy.
Steve Yzerman is gone, and Horcoff is running the show on an interim basis. Every move he makes now will shape this franchise for years.
Detroit should rip the bandage off. Use the Edvinsson market to set up a Larkin deal, collect the young assets, and start a real rebuild instead of limping through another season of half-measures.
It's like using your trade-in to finally afford the car you actually need. One deal makes the second one possible.
The risk is obvious, since selling two cornerstones at once could leave Todd McLellan's roster thin for a long time. Standing still, though, has already cost Detroit its fan base's patience.
Friedman framed it as one deal opening the door for another. For a franchise this stuck, that door might be the only way out.
Should the Red Wings trade both Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson?
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