NHL insider: Yzerman will draw even harder line in Larkin trade talks after Carlsson offer sheet

Dylan Larkin is one of three NHL centers who's scored at least 30 goals each of the last five seasons.

The others are Leon Draisaitl, who makes $14 million per year, and Nathan MacKinnon, who makes $12.6 million per year. Larkin is making $8.7 million per year for five more seasons.

And last week, Ducks center Leo Carlsson signed an offer sheet that will make him the NHL's highest-paid player at $18 million per year. The 21-year-old and former second overall pick is a rising star who had 29 goals and 67 points in 70 games last season.

Larkin had 34 goals and 67 points in 74 games. And while one has reached his NHL ceiling and the other still has lots of room to grow, they're currently on the same level and Larkin's cap hit is less than half of Carlsson's.

All to say, Steve Yzerman is sitting on one of the more valuable commodities in the NHL. And isn't budging until someone presents an equally valuable trade package for the Red Wings' captain.

"When Leo’s offer sheet hit, one of the first calls I got was from another manager who said, 'How much more valuable do you think Dylan Larkin just got?'" NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said this week on his 32 Thoughts podcast. "5 years remaining at 8.7. And what he said to me was, 'As hard as Steve Yzerman was drawing the line before, he’s going to draw it even harder now.'"

Larkin wants out of Detroit, and Yzerman pretty clearly wants NHL-proven players in return as the Red Wings try to end a franchise-worst 10-year playoff drought. Rub is, Larkin will only waive his no-trade clause for a select few Cup contenders, none of whom appear to have A) the assets Yzerman is seeking or B) the interest in moving them.

"I think Yzerman wants current players for Larkin -- current players," said Friedman. "I think he believes that very strongly, (that the playoff drought can't continue). He doesn’t just want futures. I think if he wanted futures, this deal would be done already."

Larkin might be in Minnesota by now if the Wild were willing to part with star winger Matt Boldy. He might be in Florida by now if the Panthers were willing to part with rising center Anton Lundell (and more). Might he be in Vegas by now had Yzerman made a move for rising winger Pavel Dorofeyev, who wound up on the Rangers? Who knows.

But he's still in Detroit, and Yzerman has no real incentive to rush him out of town. Unless Larkin can stomach returning to a team and a locker room (and a fan base) on which he's turned his back, his best option is to expand his list of destinations to help Yzerman orchestrate a fair trade.

"Part of me still doesn’t believe that Larkin will start next year in Detroit. I’m not convinced that Yzerman wants to start the season with this distraction," Friedman said. "But I also believe that he thinks that no trade is better than a bad trade. And I had a few people say to me, 'Don’t underestimate it, he’ll do it.' If Yzerman believes the right thing to do is start the year with Larkin based on what he’s getting offered, then he’ll do it.

"But I think the offer sheet made Larkin even more valuable, not only in Yzerman’s eyes, but in other peoples' eyes, too."

So, the waiting game continues.