Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin shook the hockey world yesterday when he requested a trade out of Detroit. The Bruins struggled to score down the stretch this season, and adding Larkin, who has scored at least 30 goals in his last five seasons, will absolutely help with that. Larkin, now 29, was the heartbeat of the Red Wings.
They went as he went, and their inability to make the playoffs since the opening of Little Caesars Arena in 2017 was often due to his missing games. With five years remaining on his contract, bringing in Larkin would add an all-star level player and strengthen the middle of the Bruins' lineup for years to come.
Trading for Larkin will not be easy. He's a premier talent, and the vast majority of the league will be interested in bringing him in. According to the PuckPedia Perri Cap Relief Calculator, Larkin should bring in the value of the second overall pick in the draft, yet another reason why the Bruins losing out on the Toronto Maple Leafs' pick this year hurts. The Bruins still need young talent, so I would really like to see them hold on to their first-round pick this season.
Who the Bruins will have to give up
Based purely on how I value the players we have, and what the cap situation is, I would say there are three players that I would expect to be the main piece of a trade for Larkin: Pavel Zacha, Casey Middelstadt, and Mason Lohrei. My expectation would be for Detroit to push hard for Zacha, who is coming off a stellar season in which he broke the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career. With only one year left on his contract, PuckPedia's calculator values Zacha as pick 34 (Round 2, Pick 2). The question that needs to be asked is: Do we think Zacha can repeat his success?
If the answer is yes (I think it is), then the Bruins should try to hold on to him. A package with Pavel Zacha in it will likely require a 1st, and I wouldn't go much more than that. If the asking price is more, the Bruins should say, "Thanks, but no thanks," and keep pushing with who is already there.
What is more interesting to me would be a deal centering around Mason Lohrei, who I have given up on at this point in time. Lohrei's value is just behind Zacha at pick 41, but Lohrei is significantly younger and fits the mold of what Detroit currently has defensively. The Bruins would, obviously, need to add a pick to this trade, but I would actually look at doing Lohrei, a 2nd, and a prospect.
Fabian Lysell and Red Wings' stud young defenseman, Simon Edvinsson, have played together in the past in international competition, so there's a level of familiarity there, and it is certainly possible the two are friendly or even good friends. I'm not sure how much added value it would give the Bruins' prospect (who has barely had a cup of coffee at the NHL level), but I don't think it's something to be completely ignored either.
That being said, I do not think this trade would be particularly likely, and expect the Red Wings to push hard for a 1st in the trade. If that's the case, I think it may be best for the Bruins to stay away, unless they can avoid giving up NHL talent.
As much as I would like to see the Bruins hold on to that pick, however, Dylan Larkin is a fantastic player, and bringing him in will put the Bruins right back into contention next season, so the Bruins should absolutely put themselves into the conversation for the Red Wings' captain.
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