looked like the dream trade target for the Flyers<\/a>:<\/p>\n\u201cLarkin will be 30 years old when next season begins, but he\u2019s still a highly productive player. He put up 67 points (34 goals, 33 assists) in 74 games this past season, and has averaged 77.4 points per 82 games over the last five years.<\/p>\n
The center is under contract through 2031, when he\u2019d be 34 years old, at a cap hit of $8.7 million. That\u2019s a salary that will only look better as the cap rises in the coming years.<\/p>\n
While Larkin isn\u2019t an elite, Hart Trophy-caliber center, he\u2019s still a top-line center in this league. He could very well be the answer the Flyers are looking for atop their lineup, especially given the strength they have on the wings to play with a lower-tier first-line center like Larkin.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was perhaps a bit older than they\u2019d like, but he\u2019s at a reasonable cap hit, and he is a first-line center.<\/p>\n
After getting a brief glimpse at what Carlsson would\u2019ve brought, and with the rest of the key RFAs signed, the view on Larkin has shifted a bit among Flyers fans. He\u2019s about to turn 30, and would Larkin really move the needle enough in the coming years to make a trade worth it?<\/p>\n
If it was for what Yzerman was asking, which reportedly included Wyatt Johnston from the Dallas Stars, the Flyers probably wouldn\u2019t want to trade for Larkin even if he wanted to come to Philadelphia. That could change with a new head honcho in Detroit, though, and the Flyers still have the cap space and roster spot to pencil in a top-line center into the lineup.<\/p>\n
Larkin may also be more willing to expand his trade list as the season approaches. He could very well ultimately end up back in training camp with the Red Wings, even if it comes with some awkward conversations in the locker room. But if he is serious about wanting to get out of Detroit, and is willing to expand his list from simply \u201c2027 Stanley Cup contenders with a Team USA player\u201d to cast a wider net for a chance to join a team that could have their Cup window opening in the next few years, the Flyers fit the bill.<\/p>\n
After all, if the Flyers were willing to pay Carlsson $18 million a year, Larkin should see that Briere & Co. are going to get the best players available when they are available. His cap hit is a manageable one that the Flyers could build around and still add another key piece in the coming years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Philadelphia Flyers\u2019 seemingly never-ending search for a first-line center continues with Leo Carlsson enjoying his $90 million…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":628335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5101],"tags":[599,93,5137,5,4,3358,5138],"class_list":["post-628334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-detroit-red-wings","tag-detroit","tag-detroit-red-wings","tag-detroitredwings","tag-hockey","tag-nhl","tag-red-wings","tag-redwings"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116962012964166204","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=628334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/628334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/628335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=628334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=628334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=628334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}