Detroit — Whenever it is Dylan Larkin gets traded, as is his request, the Red Wings will need a comparable top-line center in return.
That means a center as close as possible to Larkin, in terms of skill and ability to play comfortably at both ends of the rink.
Heading into this offseason, the Wings were in the market for a No. 2 center who could slot behind Larkin and provide increased offensive production.
They still need a No. 2 center. But now, with Larkin apparently on the move, they need a No. 1 as well.
Finding that productive center will likely not be easy for general manager Steve Yzerman. Teams seeking to acquire Larkin — who has a full no-trade clause and is looking to go to a championship contender — figure he might be one of their final pieces of a championship puzzle and aren’t going to subtract key parts of their roster.
But the Wings need as close to a carbon copy of Larkin as they can acquire. If not, a streak of missing the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons will likely grow longer.
The Wings have centers on the roster. But elevating them into roles on the top two scoring lines figures to be a reach.
Here are centers on the present roster, and possibilities in Grand Rapids:
Andrew Copp: Playing some on a line with Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane, Copp put up his best offensive season since joining the Wings in 2022 with 43 points.
Or 24 fewer points than what Larkin compiled for the season (67).
Copp, who turns 32 on July 8, is heading into the final season of a five-year free agent contract he signed. You could argue he’s been adequate on the defensive side of the puck, but offensively he hasn’t been able to fill the need of a No. 2 center — never mind a No. 1.
Copp did have some chemistry with DeBrincat and Kane and created space and time for the two offensive wizards. Copp could conceivably fill that spot again (assuming Kane re-signs as an unrestricted free agent). But it’s fair to wonder how much more you’re going to get from Copp offensively.
J.T. Compher: Coming off the poorest offensive season of the three years he’s been with the Wings, Compher has been a candidate to be traded or even bought out of the final two years of his contract.
But that was before Larkin’s trade demand. The Wings aren’t likely to move a veteran center under their control not knowing what the future exactly holds in Larkin’s situation.
Compher, 31, had 28 points (11 goals) and saw his playing time diminish, as he struggled to produce offensively and find a spot among the top six forwards. There’s no denying Compher’s versatility, his ability to play up and down the lineup and provide a professional effort in whatever role he’s asked of. But his point totals have decreased from 48 to 32 to 28 with the Wings and there’s not much evidence that will, or can, change.
Michael Rasmussen: Rasmussen, 27, also is coming off the poorest offensive season of his career with the Wings, with 14 points (six goals) in 64 games. The 2017 first-round draft pick (ninth overall) has shown flashes of being the rugged, big center all teams want to have, but the flashes have been few and far between, especially offensively.
With two more seasons on a contract with a $3.2 million annual average value, Rasmussen was another name heavily mentioned as a trade piece. But that has died down, given Larkin’s trade request and the likelihood of Rasmussen slotting in the middle of the bottom two lines.
Marco Kasper: The eighth overall selection in 2022, Kasper raised expectations scoring 19 goals while largely playing on a wing with Larkin and Lucas Raymond two seasons ago. But after failing at centering DeBrincat and Kane last season and then struggling to find a successful role wherever coach Todd McLellan placed him, Kasper dropped to nine goals and had a minus-20 plus-minus rating.
Whether Kasper is more of a center or a wing remains a question, and the fact he disclosed a knee injury after the season possibly explains the big drop-off in his overall performance. But as the Wings head into next season, Kasper is a bit of question mark.
Nate Danielson: Danielson likely would have begun last season with the Wings but an injury changed those plans. Danielson, 21, worked his way back to the NHL but after 28 games (two goals, seven points) it was apparent he needed more AHL seasoning. A lower-body injury knocked Danielson out of the Grand Rapids lineup late in the season and in the playoffs, and whether he’s ready for full-time NHL action remains to be seen.
Amadeus Lombardi: Lombardi, 23, has yet to graduate to the NHL, but he’s shown an ability to provide offense by scoring 19 and 16 goals, respectively, the past two seasons (both injury-shortened) with the Griffins. The 2022 fourth-round draft pick has long been an intriguing prospect, but whether Lombardi’s size (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) and defense can hold up in the NHL is unknown.
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: In any Dylan Larkin trade, Wings must get comparable center in return
Reporting by Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
