Dylan Larkin and Montreal: The Latest News

Several players—mostly Americans—asked, directly or indirectly, to be traded over the summer.

Connor Hellebuyck, Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, Shane Wright, Brady Tkachuk, and Dylan Larkin, to name just a few.

Tkachuk was traded, Werenski backed down, and the others are still waiting to see if their requests will lead to a positive outcome.

Will Dylan Larkin be traded, given that he's still a member of the Red Wings with two weeks to go before training camp opens? For now, Larkin remains the Wings' captain, even though Steve Yzerman stepped down from his roles as GM and executive vice president in July.

But can the Red Wings really afford such a distraction heading into the season? I'm not sure Todd McLellan wants to deal with such a hot potato.

And I'm convinced that Red Wings fans won't be quiet or supportive of their captain if he's still in Michigan once the season starts.

In June, we learned that there were only three teams on Larkin's shortlist: the Panthers, the Golden Knights, and the Wild. These are three teams that are expected to be successful in 2026–27… and that are located south of the Canada–U.S. border.

However, I was told over the weekend that the chances of Larkin ending up in Montreal are slightly higher now in September than they were three months ago. I wasn't told that Larkin was on the verge of coming to Montreal, but a door that had been firmly shut at the start of the summer has now been cracked open.

It's important to understand that the Red Wings have reportedly found their new GM and should be able to announce him publicly next Monday or Tuesday, according to Renaud Lavoie. It's always easier to complete a trade with a team that has a GM, as we all know…