NHL rumours continue to circulate about the Detroit Red Wings and how they will deal with the trade requests from Dylan Larkin and Simon Edvinsson. On Wednesday’s DFO Insider Podcast with Jeff Marek and David Pagnotta, a new rumour was added that features the Montreal Canadiens. Let’s get into the details.
NHL Rumours: Canadiens Interested in Larkin and Edvinsson
Rumour: On the DFO Insider Podcast, Marek and Pagnotta were discussing the current situation in Detroit. With respect to Larkin, Pagnotta said that the player’s camp want to work from his 10-team trade list, while the Red Wings feel they can get a better offer from another team, such as Montreal or Buffalo. Pagnotta said he expects the matter to be settled by American Thanksgiving, because one of the parties concedes. Pagnotta also said that “as much as Montreal has been linked to and have significant interest in Larkin, there is also a lot of interest in Edvinsson from Montreal’s side”.
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Analysis: Montreal’s interest in Larkin is well documented. It has also been widely reported that Larkin has a 10-team trade list that the Canadiens are not on. Beyond this, even if the player would agree, the asking price from Detroit has been prohibitive. Unless Larkin has a change of heart and accepts a trade to Montreal, and the parties can agree on a trade package, there will be no deal. The interest in Edvinsson is new information, and somewhat surprising considering the depth the Canadiens have on the left side.
Dec 17, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (71) skates with the puck defended by Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) in the second period at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Montreal Continues to Be in NHL Rumours Concerning Larkin
The NHL rumours connecting the Habs and Larkin will not die down until a trade is finalized. It is no secret that the Montreal Canadiens covet another top six forward, and a centre might be preferred. It’s also no secret that their preference is to hold on to top prospect Michael Hage, but for the perfect player, perhaps they would entertain trading him. The unknown is whether the Habs see Larkin as that perfect player.
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The Red Wings seem to think teams that are not on the list, like Montreal, are prepared to offer better packages than the 10 teams on the list. This is not a mystery. The few teams on Larkin’s list that can actually make a trade for him know they are still in the driver’s seat until Larkin expands his list.
From the player’s perspective, Larkin’s camp believes they have been reasonable in offering up 10 teams, and that the interim general manager in Detroit, Shawn Horcoff, should be able to make a fair deal from that list.
As Pagnotta noted, this cannot go on forever, and eventually one party will have to concede to the other. What that means for Montreal depends on who wins the standoff, but the NHL rumours are unlikely to stop as long as Detroit keeps sending scouts to the Canadiens games.
NHL Rumours Regarding Edvinsson Now Include Montreal
The pressure on the Detroit Red Wings to either sign or trade Simon Edvinsson is a little more concrete. December 1st is the deadline for teams to sign outstanding restricted free agents, and time is running out for Detroit. With Edvinsson’s pedigree being that of a certain top-four defender who will likely grow into a top pair role, there is no shortage of interest. Montreal’s interest comes as a bit of a surprise.
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The Habs have a number of left shot defenders in Lane Hutson, Mike Matheson, Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, and Adam Engstrom, just to name the players currently on the roster. The right side is where you would expect them to target. But perhaps they see Edvinsson as the kind of player that upgrades your roster so significantly that they are prepared to figure out the other details after the fact.
The Last Word
The Detroit Red Wings are at the centre of NHL rumours, and will continue to be until the cases of Larkin and Edvinsson have been resolved. Both are players that can become part of a team’s core for years to come, and the Red Wings are under pressure to get a strong return. The Montreal Canadiens are uniquely positioned with roster players, prospects and picks that they can move to obtain an upgrade, and they will continue to be linked to Detroit until these deals are done.
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Main Photo Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
