The Toronto Maple Leafs just got a huge update when it comes to their quest to acquire Dylan Larkin but it may not be the news they wanted to hear.
The Dylan Larkin saga took a twist on Tuesday night as the disgruntled forward suited up for the Red Wings and even scored a goal, showing that despite being at the centre of trade rumours, he's still willing to put it all on the line.
But it's still very likely that the forward is going to be traded at some point, as it's unlikely that interim GM Shawn Horcoff wants to extend this through the season, especially with Simon Edvinsson's future a question mark as well.
Maple Leafs and the rest of Canada strike out on adding Dylan Larkin
There are a slew of teams who could benefit from Larkin's two-way ability but it won't be cheap that's for certain both in terms of assets and paying him for the remainder of his contract. A few Canadian teams like Montreal and Toronto would love to have him in the lineup but they are going to be out of luck.
A new report surfaced that shows while Larkin is open to a trade, with as many as 10 teams he's willing to go to, it isn't going to be to any Canadian team as he's blocked all of them with his trade protection:
Their attention has turned to Dylan Larkin, who has cautiously expanded his list; However, that list does not include any of Canada's seven franchises - much to the chagrin of Montreal.
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That's an unfortunate turn of events for fans of any of the Canadian franchises but it's clear that Larkin wants to stay in his home country despite still being able to succeed outside of it.
Maple Leafs arguably the team with the most to lose by missing out on Larkin
The team that misses out the most is the Maple Leafs because they need the type of player than Larkin is to help balance out the lineup. He'd be another 30+ goal scorer who has elite defensive numbers, and be the perfect replacement for John Tavares as the 2C.
That would allow Tavares to move to the wing but still be able to take those important face-offs, and just switch off for a faster Larkin - who is also an above-average defender who can also get back a lot quicker.
Plus, it would give Auston Matthews someone he trusts who has proven to be a winner alongside him, and given that this is the Maple Leafs' win-now stretch - he'd instantly give them a boost.
But unfortunately, Larkin feels like staying within the U.S. is exactly what he wants and is how he can best thrive. It's his right however, you'd just wish that perhaps he was more open to winning than comfort.
Do you think that Dylan Larkin would have made sense for the Maple Leafs?
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