Canadiens fans moved the needle on Dylan Larkin, but a deal with the Red Wings is nowhere close right now.
The word surfaced Sunday. Elliotte Friedman told Jackie Redmond on NHL on TNT that the “We Want Larkin” chants on October 10 moved the needle.
Then came the cold water, because Friedman doesn't believe anything is close on a move to Montreal at this point.
Those chants rang out the night the Canadiens beat Detroit 1-0 in a shootout at the Bell Centre. It's still the only meeting between the two clubs this season.
A home crowd begging for the visitors' $8,700,000 forward is a strange compliment. Picture a dinner guest asking the host, out loud, if his car is for sale.
And Detroit has no obvious reason to start selling in October. Shawn Horcoff only took over as GM in September, and Todd McLellan's group has played just 11 games.
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Nick Suzuki injury raises the stakes for Kent Hughes
The timing makes the noise louder. Nick Suzuki is listed with an upper-body injury and isn't expected back until at least November 18.
That's a brutal stretch to lose him. His 12 points in 9 games still lead the Canadiens.
Montreal is finding ways anyway. Kaiden Guhle scored the winner in a 2-1 victory in Winnipeg last night, the second straight win for Martin St-Louis' club.
Jacob Fowler did the heavy lifting in that one, turning aside 33 of 34 shots. Ivan Demidov remains on IR with a lower-body injury, too.
So does Kent Hughes start shopping for a top-six forward? The 6-3-2 record says maybe, but a goal differential of 0 says this team is more steady than dangerous.
Paying Detroit's price for a 30-year-old would be a mistake for a roster leaning on 22-year-olds like Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky.
The cap math isn't friendly, either. Montreal already pays Noah Dobson $9,500,000 and Hutson $8,850,000.
Larkin's production doesn't scream bargain right now. He's scored once in 9 games, while Alex DeBrincat leads Detroit with 6 goals.
He's been sharper lately, with 3 assists over his last 5 games.
The Red Wings sit last in the Atlantic at 4-4-3, coming off a 4-1 loss in Calgary on Saturday.
They face the Oilers in Edmonton tonight, while the Canadiens head to St. Louis on Tuesday.
If Detroit keeps sliding, Horcoff's phone gets a lot busier. Whether he picks it up when Montreal calls is a different question.
Should Kent Hughes chase Dylan Larkin while Nick Suzuki is sidelined?
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