On the most recent episode of the “32 Thoughts” podcast hosted by Sportsnet’s Jeff Marek and Elliotte Friedman, the latter gave insight on what Dallas forward Roope Hintz’s new deal might mean for Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings.
“The one to me that’s the most interesting to me is Larkin (comparing Bo Horvat and Dylan Larkin’s situations). He’s having an excellent season. He’s doing everything he needs to do. He is playing well on a contract year.”
“The thing about Steve Yzerman is if you look at his (Yzerman) history in negotiations, he’ll go to a point, and he won’t go past it. I think the Canucks know that they will have to bend if they want to get the Horvat deal done; where they were and where they are going to have to be, they’re going to have to bend. My guess is that Steve Yzerman has bent a little bit. I don’t know that. I’m just saying I understand his history; I just don’t know if he is going to bend as far as Vancouver might have to.”
Roope Hintz signed an eight-year, $67-million deal early last week with the Dallas Stars, with an average annual value of $8.45 million. Hintz broke out offensively last season, scoring 37 goals and 72 points in 80 games. The 26-year-old is also off to a strong start this season, scoring 11 goals and 30 points in 24 games.
Comparing the past two seasons and their age, albeit Larkin is three months older, Hintz’s new deal seems to be a perfect comparable for Steve Yzerman.
Friedman also added that he believes Larkin’s next contract will be that of a top-line center. “It’s a huge number(about Dylan Larkin’s contract value),” Friedman said. “He’s proven that he’s a really good number-one center in this league.”
Through 24 games this season, Larkin has scored nine goals and 17 assists and has been a big part of the Red Wings’ early success. It will be interesting to see if Larkin’s negotiations with Yzerman mirror what the ex-Tampa Bay general manager went through with Steven Stamkos in 2016. When asked if the two situations were similar, Friedman believed they could be.
“I think Larkin wants to be a Red Wing.” Friedman said, “It has been one of the topics of conversation what Hintz contract does for Horvat and Larkin, who are the two best centers available on the market (2023 free agency class).
“Hintz had one RFA year; these guys (Larkin and Horvat) are pure UFAs. Yzerman’s history is there is a place I am going to go, and I’m not going past that.”
With more top-line centers signing for $8 million or more a season, it is easy to see why Larkin’s contract negotiations maybe not be so cut and dry.
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