Red Wings must trade Dylan Larkin, according to one top Detroit sports journalist
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One particular journalist is facing considerable backlash from shocked fans after writing that the Red Wings should consider trading Dylan Larkin
One thing that the Detroit Red Wings have not done at any point in their recent history is trade their best player and captain - but one particular writer based in the Motor City is suggesting just that.
Carlos Monnarez of The Detroit Free Press recently suggested that the Detroit Red Wings ought to consider trading captain Dylan Larkin, who is about to play for the Americans in the 4 Nations Faceoff title game later tonight, to a Stanley Cup contender if they don't make the playoffs this year or next.
He also suggests that if the Red Wings fail to make the postseason in that time frame, it should result in the termination of GM Steve Yzerman.
As much as everyone wants to believe he'll finish his career as a Red Wing, especially with six years left on his eight-year, $69.6 million extension, it might not be the best thing for his career if the Wings keep missing the playoffs.
The answer is simple, albeit hard to swallow for Wings fans: If the Wings miss the playoffs this season and the next, they should trade Larkin to a contender for his age 30 season. Because if the Wings miss the next two playoffs, that should be the end of Steve Yzerman's tenure as general manager.
That would mean another reset, if not a complete rebuild with a new direction under a new regime and a new coaching staff that would be Larkin's fourth.
The answer is simple, albeit hard to swallow for Wings fans: If the Wings miss the playoffs this season and the next, they should trade Larkin to a contender for his age 30 season. Because if the Wings miss the next two playoffs, that should be the end of Steve Yzerman's tenure as general manager.
That would mean another reset, if not a complete rebuild with a new direction under a new regime and a new coaching staff that would be Larkin's fourth.
Let's be honest - Larkin isn't going anywhere. He's here for the long term, and he made sure of it by signing the 8-year contract referenced in the original piece.
He's a ride-or-die type of player, unlikely to even consider asking for a trade in the (extremely unlikely) event that the Red Wings don't make the playoffs this year or next.
And as captain of the team he grew up rooting for (and especially as a native son of metro-Detroit), there is nothing that Larkin wants more in his career than to lift the Stanley Cup as Red Wings captain.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 20 | 198 ANSWERS Red Wings must trade Dylan Larkin, according to one top Detroit sports journalist What is your reaction to the suggestion of trading Dylan Larkin? | ||
| Will never happen! | 168 | 84.8 % |
| They need to! | 6 | 3 % |
| Maybe they should consider it | 24 | 12.1 % |
| List of polls | ||