Perhaps the most unusual aspect of this NHL season has been the number of trade demands that have been left unfulfilled this season. From Dylan Larkin in Detroit to Nikita Kucherov in Tampa, players looking to move on from their current homes have decided to make their wishes public – and probably not the best thing for them.
NHL General Managers like to keep the value on their assets, and when a player makes his demands public, it lets the other 31 GMs around the league know that they may be able to get top-shelf players for discount prices. Which is part of the reason that they have remained on the trading block for in Larkin’s case, months.
It used to be that when a player wanted a trade, they quietly asked the GM to move them in a deal, with the request sometimes coming out when the trade was already done and the trading team able to receive near full-value on the player.
However, these days, when an agent makes a demand public, it really chills the market for the player and is a bit counterproductive to the process.
Teams know they don’t have to pay full price for a Larkin, so they can wait out a team with a depreciating asset that, in Larkin’s case, is either have him sit out or move him for pennies on the dollar. Of course, in Larkin’s case, he has a limited 10-team trade list – most of which are fairly capped out and really no room to add even a talented player such as the former Detroit captain.
Larkin’s deal is complicated too, with him being under contract until 2031, limiting what the Wings can get back for an expensive contract for the 30-year-old.
Even with Connor Hellebuyck’s trade from the Winnipeg Jets to the New Jersey Devils, it really became a drawn-out process when the goaltender asked for a deal out of Manitoba; what began as a private trade request went public in August – even with his stock as high as it’s been following the United States’ gold-medal win in the Olympics.
Kucherov’s case is probably the most straightforward of the three, with him being an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, meaning the Lightning wouldn’t have as much difficulty moving him – if they want – since the drop-off in return would be minimal with him being a rental. While Tampa certainly would be reluctant to deal their star with the team still having Stanley Cup hopes, at some point, it will come down to if they want any sort of return or just let him walk in the summer.
Even a lesser star such as the Washington Capitals’ Ivan Miroschnichenko, who is unhappy over his role so far this season, has publicly asked for a trade, with the news coming out via Elliotte Friedman rather than waiting for the Capitals to make a move. While Washington would preferably like to be able to return the young star to Hershey to build his playing time, the former first-rounder wouldn’t clear waivers with his pedigree, and the Capitals will likely look to get picks back for the 22-year-old.
In some ways, the NHL has slowly become more like its winter counterpart in the NBA, with players looking to join teams rather than build where they are. Certainly, Vegas, Florida and other teams have become popular destinations for players looking to compete for a Stanley Cup, and it skews the competitive balance of the league.
In today’s NHL too, the value of salary cap space is underrated, as while losing Larkin is a negative on the talent pool, the $8.7 million added in cap space going forward can be used to Detroit’s advantage.
But, with several high-end talent demanding trades in public, it is making the process much more drawn out than it used to be, as even a top-notch player like Hellebucyk is waiting to be dealt.
Teams are determined to not get market value for players – with some GMs even shutting down trade talks if a whiff of what is discussed go public. And while Larkin, Hellebucyk, and Kucherov all have different reasons for wanting a change of scenery, it’s not really the most productive way to make what the players want happen.
