Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings seems to be in a stalemate over a new contract for the current Red Wings captain, but does he deserve the amount he’s asking for?
Dylan Larkin, who has played 47 games this season, has score 15 goals and assisted 28 for a total of 43 points. That ranks him at 71st in the league for scoring behind many players who are making less than Larkin’s asking price.
Larkin wants a long term $9M AAV contract, but it seems as though Yzerman and the Reg Wings do not feel that is fair value, and many people around the league agree with him.
There is certainly a team that would pay Larkin $9M on the free agency market, but it won’t be a team anywhere near making a cup run. On a cup winning caliber team, Larkin is a 2C type of player, and paying your 2C $9M a year is going to make it impossible to build a winning squad around it.
Chris Chelios believes otherwise, thinking that Yzerman will do “everything in his power” to get Larkin signed, even if it is paying $9M a year.
One side of this negotiation is going to have to cave in, or it’s going to be trade talk time for Larkin. If he wants to stay in Detroit and play a major role in the path of this franchise, Larkin needs to take a note out of the book of some NHL greats and take a hometown discount to help the team win. $8M AAV is still a ton of money, and if he wants to win he’s going to have to realize he can’t be making $9M. If he just wants to play hockey and doesn’t care for a cup victory, go to the free agency market and sign for another rebuild.
