The Sabres’ Dylan Larkin Problem Isn’t the Assets

Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin has been suspended without pay since Oct. 29 , when he told the team he no longer wanted to be part of the organization, and a Dylan Larkin trade is still stuck behind the market he has limited himself to. He has given the Red Wings a list of 10 teams he would accept a deal to, and the Buffalo Sabres are not one of them.

Why a Dylan Larkin trade to Buffalo is complicated

Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic , who covers the Sabres, took a fan mailbag question Wednesday about whether Buffalo could get into the Larkin market at all.

"But the Sabres are not on his expanded 10-team trade list. How much will that list have to expand before Buffalo ends up on it? Are the Sabres even a more attractive option than simply staying in Detroit? Yes, Buffalo ended its playoff drought, but that's still just one year. Assuming he doesn't want to go to a Canadian team, that leaves 26 teams.

"I wonder if the Sabres would get on the list if it got to 15 teams? Would it take 20? And how much more would the Sabres have to pay for the Red Wings to be compelled to move him within the division? All of those questions make me hesitant to get people too excited about the idea. I also think the Sabres should be wary about adding a player who essentially needs to be begged to come to Buffalo. You don't want to be someone's 15th choice when you're giving up the assets required to get a player like Larkin."

Larkin's camp has already said no to a longer list

Fairburn's question about how far the list would have to stretch already has an answer, and it is not an encouraging one for Buffalo. Larkin started with three teams and expanded to 10: the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Utah Mammoth, Tampa Bay Lightning, New Jersey Devils and Colorado Avalanche. TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun reported Tuesday that Buffalo is one of the teams sitting off that list, along with Montreal, Boston and Los Angeles, and that Larkin's camp, led by agent Pat Brisson, has told the Red Wings no again in recent days.

That is the part of this that matters most to Sabres fans. Buffalo does not need Larkin to warm to the idea of Buffalo in general. It needs him to add the one team in his own division that would cost Detroit the most to do business with. Larkin is in the fourth season of an eight-year contract with an annual cap hit of $8.7 million, and he is forfeiting roughly $41,000 a day while the suspension runs. DSN has already covered why several teams that are on the list have hesitated .

Being in the same division makes things complicated

Would Detroit be willing to move Larkin inside its own division to a team like Buffalo? Probably not, and the standings explain why. Entering Thursday, Buffalo is 7-5-3 with 17 points and Detroit is 7-6-3 with 17 points , tied in the Atlantic Division with the Sabres holding a game in hand. These are two teams chasing the same playoff spot. If the Sabres and the Red Wings ever completed a trade involving Larkin, it would be a genuine surprise.

A Buffalo fan named Samuel D. asked , " Is it time to put the pipe dream trade ideas to rest for now? After losing the goalie trade, chatter has picked up around Dylan Larkin. I don't see this team making a move in the near future, so should the fans give up on this idea for now? "

Fairburn's answer gave Sabres general manager Jarmo Kekäläinen credit for doing the work, then took the air out of the idea anyway.

"Trades are fun, especially in a league where free agency has become even more watered down over the years. So I get why people want to throw ideas around and play general manager. And I do think it's fair to expect Kekäläinen to make a significant deal at some point this season. He's circled around a few doozies this calendar year between Colton Parayko and Connor Hellebuyck . That said, the idea of Larkin might be a non-starter.

"The Sabres have the assets to pull it off and have had conversations with the Red Wings about those assets. But Kekäläinen is the type to have those conversations about any big-name player who's available. He wouldn't be doing his job otherwise. Larkin would fill arguably their most glaring need for a No. 1 center and comes at a reasonable cap hit."

Buffalo still has a roster to sort out after missing on Hellebuyck, who was traded to the New Jersey Devils on Oct. 23 . Going after Larkin would be a move that fits the need. The problem is that he has not asked to go there, and the people who speak for him keep saying he does not plan to.