NHL Mailbag: Don’t blame Dylan Larkin for his no-trade clause
With the Stanley Cup Final set for game three tonight, what better time for a DFO mailbag? As always, it will likely be very Philadelphia Flyers-centric. But there is no shortage of intriguing questions as we turn it over to the readers.
Let’s jump right into it.
How realistic is a Matty Beniers trade to Philly? I feel like swapping him and Tippett makes way too much sense for both teams but I can’t tell if he’s actually “available”
It is really hard to say because, at this stage, it is completely unclear which direction the Seattle Kraken are heading. With former GM and president Ron Francis exiting stage left a few months back and ownership conducting a full audit of the hockey ops department, it’s almost impossible to know where GM Jason Botterill will take this thing.
The Kraken are the definition of “mid’’ – that much is unquestionable. Sure, trading Shane Wright may be on their wishlist. But if they really want to shake things up and get a quality return, Matty Beniers would be a much more intriguing option for other teams.
As far as the Flyers go, they have a plethora of young wingers that could be of interest to the Kraken to play with their young pivots. And that is the benefit here for Botterhill: even if he trades Beniers, he still has Jake O’Brien, Chandler Stephenson, Berkly Catton, and Wright in the organization as options down the middle.
When the Flyers open the season, how many new players are on the opening Night roster? I think we have questions about some of the D, wingers etc. but how much movement can we actually expect?
I would say four new players, including a backup goaltender, for the Flyers. We know they want to add a backup goaltender if possible, as Samuel Ersson has had an up-and-down last two seasons to say the least. We also know they want a defenseman capable of running the power play, with Anaheim Ducks defender John Carlson being on their radar. And, as we just spoke about, a top-six center.
Beyond that, a bottom-six player who can provide some physicality is something not to write off. They moved on from Nicolas Deslauriers at the trade deadline, and Garnet Hathaway is on the back end of his career; adding a player in free agency who could provide a similar game to those two is something to watch.
One player who could fill this void and make sense is AJ Greer, but there will surely be other teams after his services as well.
Any movement on the Zegras extension? What is the term and AAV sounding like ?
Haven’t heard much regarding this, but it will get done. The money will be dependent on the term – i.e., the amount of UFA years the Flyers eventually buy up. But it won’t be lower than $8 million, all signs indicate.
The Flyers want to go long-term with Zegras if the dollar value is right. Travis Konecny is currently their highest-paid player with an $8.75 million AAV; with the cap set to skyrocket roughly $9 million per season over the next three years, Zegras’ AAV could exceed his teammate’s.
Best guess: a seven-year extension that carries a $9 million AAV. It would take Zegras until age 32, which is an age the Flyers typically like to extend their core players to, and did similarly with forward Owen Tippett.
What do the Flyers end up trading for? A C1 or D1
If it’s one or the other, it is for a center, simply because there are none available on the open market. And before we point to Dylan Larkin’s trade request from the Detroit Red Wings, he has already submitted a very specific list that does not include the Flyers.
We spoke about Beniers already; Auston Matthews is sticking with the Toronto Maple Leafs until further notice; as Kevin Kurz reported earlier in the week, the ask from the St Louis Blues for Robert Thomas included 2025 first-round picks Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt. Needless to say, it is going to be a lot easier said than done, even via trade.
As for a defenseman, they won’t be adding a top-end guy as a free agent. Carlson is a guy they’ll target if he is serious about signing in Philadelphia; beyond that, it may be bargain shopping on Canada Day.
Why does Larkin think he can request a trade AND a location. Shouldn't Yzerman try to get the best return and trade him there? If Larkin wants a trade he would go, right? Why would Yzerman trade him if he gets a suboptimal return when keeping him is an option.
The perks of having a no-trade clause, my friend. That is all that needs to be said. If Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman doesn’t like it, then he shouldn’t have signed Larkin to that contract in 2023; to say nothing of subsequently sitting on his hands for three seasons and pissing off the franchise cornerstone.
Teams do not hesitate to jettison players out of town when they feel the time is right. Just ask the New York Rangers and how they treated the likes of Barclay Goodrow, Chris Kreider, and Jacob Trouba. Now the shoe is on the other foot. Yzerman has to deal with the consequences of his (in)actions since inking Larkin to that extension.
Yzerman is not one to get bullied on the trade front, and he will likely bamboozle another GM into a heavy return. But this is in no way Larkin’s fault, nor should he be judged for wanting to pull the chute on the botched ‘’yzerplan.’’