Red Wings Rumors: Extension May Come Down To Wire With Star

The Detroit Red Wings are playing well this season and are right in the thick of the playoff race. One thing they have to worry about is if and when the captain, Dylan Larkin, will re-sign.

I don't think it will be an issue of Larkin wanting to play somewhere else seeing as the team is on the rise, he has a strong group of players around him, enough cap space to get a big contract extension, and Detroit is an original-six team. But Steve Yzerman is well known for his skills as a general manager and doesn't want to overpay leaving less money to make sure the entire roster is complete.

Seeing as Larkin is the number one centre on the Red Wings and the cap is on the rise, he's looking at a long-term deal in the $9 million AAV range. This won't be too bad if the cap starts to jump up by a few million per season, but Larkin has been slightly inconsistent in his career.

He is a two-time 30-goal scorer and is playing at a point-per-game this season and last. Though he is a solid number one centre, he isn't an elite player. There would probably be few teams that could even offer Larkin what he is asking for, and that would require their interest as well. He likely isn't going anywhere, but we may see a situation similar to Jason Robertson and the Dallas Stars up until next season.