The New York Rangers are in the process of figuring out how to deploy their forward lines, especially at center. It seems as though head coach Mike Sullivan found a temporary solution in winger Will Cuylle, who thrived in his first start at center with a 3-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday. But, can Cuylle continue to play at that level at a position he's never played before?
If the Rangers are in the playoff picture in the months moving forward, they are undoubtedly going to be looking to add an improvement. While goaltender will be the main area of concern for the Rangers, center should be considered as well. There is one high profile center that is currently on the trade block, and that's Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings.
Larkin requested a trade off of the Detroit Red Wings in the offseason, started playing games near the start of the season before ultimately deciding he would sit out until he was traded. Larkin recently listed 10 teams that he'd accept a trade to, and the Rangers were not on that list. But could he change his mind in the near future? Don't count on it.
Dylan Larkin refuses to expand trade list beyond 10 teams
After initially having a three team list, Larkin had expanded it to 10 teams. The Rangers were not on that list. But no deal has transpired between the Red Wings and any of those 10 teams. So, there was talk about whether the Red Wings would ask Larkin to further expand his trade list.
TSN NHL insider Pierre LeBrun revealed recently that the Red Wings would like to negotiate with six-to-eight teams outside of Larkin's trade wishlist, thinking they could get a better return in a package. However, LeBrun reports that the Larkin and his agent, Pat Brisson, told the Red Wings "no."
“But they would like to go deeper in talks with six to eight other teams outside his list, where the Red Wings believe there’s more fertile ground to find the kind of package they need," said LeBrun.
“Those six to eight teams that aren’t on the list include the likes of Montreal, Boston, L.A., and Buffalo, as we talked about. But Larkin’s camp, led by agent Pat Brisson, has told the Red Wings again, I’m told over the last few days, no.”
Dylan Larkin doesn't sound like a player who would be open to trade to Rangers
The Rangers have long tried to lure a superstar to New York, but have been unsuccessful. Larkin would have fit the bill for the Rangers, plus it helped that he had a Team USA connection on the Rangers with J.T. Miller, general manager Chris Drury, and Sullivan, who all won a gold medal in the Winter Olympics this past February. Yet, they didn't make the cut on his initial three-team trade list, which only included the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights.
The new 10-team list includes the Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, New Jersey Devils, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Utah Mammoth. So even with an expended list, the Rangers didn't make the cut. And it doesn't sound like they ever will, considering Larkin and Brisson shut down the idea of further expanding the list.
So for now, the Rangers could aim to stick with internal options at center. At the trade deadline, if they are still in the playoff picture, perhaps they could land a center from a selling team. There may not be a superstar available, but they could find someone to primarily fit on the bottom two lines.
Larkin is off the board and shouldn't be viewed as a feasible target for Drury. Maybe they could find a way to land Nikita Kucherov, who recently demanded a trade out of Tampa Bay? That's a whole other story for another day.
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