Larkin's cap hit and list shrink Detroit's trade market

ESPN reports, citing league sources, that Dylan Larkin sat out Detroit's game against Chicago for trade-related reasons. The report is unconfirmed by the team, and no deal has been announced. The contract is the story underneath it, because it decides who can buy.

The contract sets the floor

Larkin carries an $8.7 million cap hit with five seasons left, per ESPN and NHL.com. ESPN also says he holds a no-trade clause. That clause is the bigger limit. Larkin and his agent Pat Brisson control the destination, and the list is ten teams, none of them in Canada.

The ten, per ESPN: Minnesota, Florida, Vegas, Carolina, Colorado, Dallas, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, Utah and Washington. A team off that list cannot get him unless Larkin agrees to widen it.

Who can fit $8.7 million

Few of the ten can fit that number without sending money back. TheScore says Carolina is the only team on the list that could absorb the hit outright, and PuckPedia calls the Hurricanes' cap situation remarkably good. Utah could clear room but cannot take the full amount today, per PuckPedia.

The rest are tight. Tampa Bay has a few million in space, according to PuckPedia. New Jersey has virtually none, and theScore says the Devils would have to clear room. Vegas is right up against the cap, and theScore describes Dallas as nearly capped out. Colorado is tight, and Washington has limited space.

Minnesota is the most aggressive suitor, according to ESPN and TSN. TSN quotes Pierre LeBrun saying the Wild have made the most offers since June but are limited in what they can offer. That limit reads like a cap problem.

What it does to the asking price

Every dollar of salary a buyer sends to Detroit comes off the value it can send in picks and prospects. A team that must move a mid-priced player to make room pays part of its price in salary, and Detroit takes on a contract it may not want. Carolina can pay in futures. Most others pay in a mix.

Detroit also has little leverage on timing. NHL.com has agent Pat Brisson saying Larkin has had enough of the situation, and Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported the plan is for him not to play until he is traded. Each game he misses costs the Red Wings a center averaging 21:41 a night this season, who has two goals and four assists in 10 games.

Interim general manager Shawn Horcoff was expected to address the situation, per The Athletic's Max Bultman. Until he does, the supportable read is narrow. Talks have escalated, Minnesota is pushing, and the cap sheets suggest Detroit gets the best return from a team with room, and a smaller, more complicated one from everyone else.