Ted Kulfan takes a look at Dylan Larkin’s ‘curious’ agent switch, the latest odds in the Wings’ coaching search and Finnish prospect Joakim Kemell is the interview guest.
Larkin, the team captain who is in the final year of his five-year contract worth $30.5 million ($6.1 million per salary cap hit), changed representation to CAA, represented by Matt Williams and Pat Brisson, leaving KO Sports.
“It was curious timing, no question,” Kulfan said on episode 71 of The Detroit News/Detroit Red Wings podcast. “Let’s face it. Some of those people that Pat Morris and that agency represent (Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Patrick Kane, Jack Eichel and Jack Hughes), those are some of the elite, star players in the league.
“You wonder what Larkin is exactly looking for in this new deal. There was a lot of talk that maybe he would take a bit of hometown discount again but there a lot of guys in that agency who are $10-million-dollar-a-year players.
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“If Dylan Larkin has the type of year that he did this past year, I think he has a valid argument to be a nine- to 10-million-dollar-a-year player. You do wonder though how that works into what Steve Yzerman envisions as far as the salary structure of this team.
“I don’t think it should inhibit contract negotiations. Dylan Larkin was pretty passionate about how much he wants to stay here. He loves being the captain of the Detroit Red Wings, his hometown team.
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“But then again it did seem the losing did have an effect on him. It really did drag him down a bit. I think he wants to see some definite improvement on this roster. It sets up for an interesting year.”
Here are other highlights from this episode of OctoPulse, Taking the Pulse of the Red Wings’ rebuild now in Year 4 of Yzerman’s regime.
►30 seconds: Mike Babcock among top coaching candidates
►3:35: Steve Yzerman on hiring Guy Boucher and Jon Cooper
►6:20: Will the new coach make a difference?
►8:30: Joakim Kemell interview
►19:10: Dylan Larkin’s agent switch to CAA
►21:30: Steve Kampfer signing
►22:40: Free agent targets Vincent Trocheck, Andrew Copp
Ted’s first-round predictions (5-3)
►In the East, Boston (6), Pittsburgh (6), Florida (6), Tampa Bay (7)
►In the West, Colorado (5), Minnesota (7), Calgary (6), Edmonton (6)
Second-round predictions
►In the East, Carolina (6), Tampa Bay (6)
►In the West, Colorado (7), Calgary (6)