Detroit — It’s the NHL Entry Draft weekend, but the intrigue around the Red Wings is focused on whether they’ll make any trades.
More precisely, whether the Wings will satisfy captain Dylan Larkin’s request for a trade, a saga that has been going on for three weeks.
The Larkin situation will be front and center all weekend — as will the situations of many NHL players who could be potentially dealt — in what has become a turbulent time around the league.
But, oh yes, the Entry Draft.
For the Wings, this draft is a bit different, with only six overall selections for now. The Wings don’t have a first-round pick for the first time since 2012, having dealt it to St. Louis at the March trade deadline for defenseman Justin Faulk.
The Wings also don’t have a fourth-round draft pick, having sent it last summer to Anaheim as part of the package to acquire goaltender John Gibson. The Wings do have an extra seventh-round pick, acquiring it from Calgary during last year’s draft.
For the second consecutive year, the NHL draft is decentralized. Many of the top prospects will be in Buffalo, New York, for the broadcast site — much like the NFL and NBA does — while the 32 NHL teams’ front offices will be home conducting business.
Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, at his season-ending press conference in April, talked about how the Entry Draft and the trade market are keys for teams to reshape their roster these days, given the lessening impact of unrestricted free agency.
“Obviously, we used a first-round pick and a good prospect (Dmitri Buchelnikov) to acquire a defenseman (Faulk) that helps us for the foreseeable future, and we’re prepared to do that,” Yzerman said. “Free agency, with a 32-team league and the salary cap going up, teams in the past weren’t able to re-sign their free agents. They’re all getting re-signed (now), so that free-agent market is thinner.
“So ultimately, you’re drafting or looking at really trading to do that (improve rosters).”
The top of the first round on Friday should be interesting, with Toronto expected to select forward Gavin McKenna, but then intrigue begins, beginning with San Jose and what the Sharks will do with the No. 2 overall pick. The Sharks are reportedly shopping the pick, wanting to add an established veteran to a quickly developing roster.
Defenseman Chase Reid (Michigan State), a Chesterfield native, is expected to be drafted in the top five picks.
But the Larkin situation will continue to be the main focus around the Wings this weekend, and around the NHL.
With only a certain number of teams Larkin would prefer to be dealt — he has a full no-trade clause — Yzerman’s ability to deal Larkin and get an equitable return to help the Wings in the present is more difficult.
Larkin is concentrating on teams in contention to make the playoffs and make a run toward a Stanley Cup. Those teams are thinking of Larkin as a final piece to a puzzle, and they usually aren’t willing to take away from their roster, preferring to trade prospects or draft picks.
The Wings, who’ve missed the playoffs the last 10 consecutive years, aren’t as interested in gathering more draft picks or prospects, especially for a player like Larkin, who is a consistent 30-goal scorer.
With Florida likely out of the bidding for Larkin after having acquired forward Brady Tkachuk on Sunday, teams such as Dallas, Minnesota, Vegas and Utah might be considered possibilities to land Larkin if a trade can be worked out.
But Yzerman is being patient in his approach — he’s in no hurry to deal Larkin — and could wait into September’s training camp or beyond to deal Larkin if the right trade isn’t there.
There are plenty of other star players who could be dealt this weekend as teams take a big step toward comprising their lineups.
Winnipeg goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce Township), forward Jason Robertson (Dallas), forward Elias Pettersson (Vancouver), forward Vincent Trocheck (N.Y. Rangers), forward Matthew Knies and defenseman Morgan Rielly (Toronto), forward Mason McTavish (Anaheim) and defenseman Darnell Nurse (Edmonton) are high-profile players who could be shipped elsewhere because of trade demands or contract issues in what has become a turbulent offseason.
The Wings are also likely to gauge teams’ interest in goaltender Sebastian Cossa. The former 2021 first-round pick (15th overall) has apparently fallen behind Michal Postava and Trey Augustine (Michigan State/South Lyon) in the Wings’ organizational depth chart. Cossa also has no minor-league options left, meaning he can’t be sent down to Grand Rapids without being exposed to waivers, where he’d likely be claimed by another team.
The Wings would like to get something in return for Cossa, rather than lose him for nothing.
NHL Draft
When: 7 p.m. Friday (Round 1) and 11 a.m. Saturday (Rounds 2-7)
TV: Round 1 on ESPN, Rounds 2-7 on NHL Network
Red Wings picks: The Wings have six draft picks: No. 47 overall (second round), No. 79 (third round), No. 143 (fifth round), No. 175 (sixth round), No. 196 (seventh round) and No. 207 (seventh round).
tkulfan@detroitnews.com
@tkulfan
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Red Wings enter NHL Draft with more intrigue around trades than picks
Reporting by Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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By Ted Kulfan, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
