Zach Bolduc got off to a comically bad start as he moved towards Red Wings net-minder Daniil Tarasov. It was the 6th round of the shootout, and as he pushed the puck forward, he lost control of the biscuit, franticly chasing it towards the side boards; he eventually collected the puck and skated towards Tarasov. With the Red Wings net-minder cheating a touch towards his near post, Bolduc aimed for the far post and blasted the puck into the Red Wings net.
Up to that point, Tarasov had matched Jacob Fowler, his counterpart for Montréal, save for save, making the exact same number of saves throughout regulation and overtime.
In an attempt to extend overtime one more round, Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan sent Nate Danielson over the boards; the former 9th overall pick from the 2023 entry draft copied the same shot as Lucas Raymond, Alex DeBrincat, and Dylan Larkin: a snap shot, which had the exact same result, being turned aside by Fowler.
Game over.
The Habs claimed two points with the 1-0 victory, with the Red Wings settling for a single point. While Tarasov was a pleasant surprise, Detroit’s glaring lack of skill stood out like a sore thumb.
Here are a few examples:
Detroit attempted to get behind the aggressive Habs’ defense early by springing Michael Rasmussen in all alone; he wasn’t credited with a single shot on goal.
The Red Wings featured Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp as two of their three forwards on their second power play unit.
Viktor Arvidsson was the only skater during the shootout to really test Jacob Fowler, getting the Montréal net minder to sprawl out, although Arvy was unable to lift the puck over him with his attempt at a backhand shot.
Todd McLellan can’t put his three best forwards on one line, as it would make it easier for opponents to neutralize Detroit’s only forwards capable of scoring 30 goals and 70 or more points.
Depth forwards Keegan Kolesar, Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp are playing heavier minutes than is ideal, and it’s mostly due to the fact McLellan is trying to limit scoring chances against, mostly through more aggressive checking.
To a certain extent it’s working, as the Red Wings sit in the top 10 in most advanced stats:
8th in expected goals for
6th in expected goals against
7th in Corsi For Percentage
7th in Fenwick For Percentage
8th in Scoring Chances For Percentage
While tight checking has been the standard playbook for teams with little skill, even teams like Edmonton under new head coach Mike Babcock are embracing defensive hockey. The difference is the Oil have highly skilled players like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard. Detroit? The Red Wings have a first-line center who doesn’t rank in the top 20 among centers cross the league and has requested a trade. They’re also engaged in a contract stalemate with a defender who is one of the best 5v5 goal scorers among 23 and under rearguards.
McLellan has talked about how the team inside the locker room is trying to put the distractions aside, but — being a guy who isn’t ever going to bullshit you — has acknowledged how difficult it is to manage through the uncertainty regarding two of his key players.
So his challenge will be to keep the team committed to the grind, which will become more difficult as the team continues to drop points despite their best efforts.
The Game of Chicken
Chants of ‘we want Larkin’ reverberated throughout Bell Centre, as Montréal fans made their case for the former Red Wings captain to approve a trade to Les Habs. It added another layer to the ongoing saga of Dylan Larkin’s unresolved trade request. While it’s safe to assume Larkin remains uninterested in being moved to a Canadian market, he should be intrigued by a rebuild that is going in the exact opposite direction of the one he’s seen first hand in Detroit.
Larkin could slot in right behind Nick Suzuki and provide Montréal with a formidable 1-2 punch at center. Suzuki is the Canadiens’ team captain, so Lakin likely wouldn't be asked to do anything more than be a worker bee, something he expressed interest in during his press conference prior to the start of the season.
Credit: The Michigan Daily
In return, Montréal could build a trade package around Michael Hage, who currently plays at the University of Michigan. Hage is a skilled forward, which is a characteristic the team has struggled to draft and develop under former director of amateur scouting Kris Draper.
Emmitt Finnie has been the early standout among the young forwards, as Todd McLellan indicated he intends to continue to utilize him at center. If you could receive Hage as a part of a Larkin trade package, you can envision a revamped group of forwards that includes Michael Hage, Marco Kasper, Emmitt Finnie, Michael Brandsegg-Nygård, Max Plante, Carter Bear and JP Hurlbert, who are all forwards aged 22 and under. Lucas Raymond would be the old man among that group at age 24.
The Red Wings would need to take some salary back to make the trade work, so Kirby Dach could be sent to Detroit with a sweetener thrown in, whether that be a draft pick or another prospect. Some LTIR magic on Montréal’s behalf may be enough to close the gap on Larkin’s $8.7 million AAV; if not, Montreal could move either Alexander Textier or Alexandre Carrier with little trouble.
From Detroit’s perspective, the one concern with Hage is he may not be a center in the NHL, but if you trade Larkin you likely bottom out this year with the hope of getting a top 5 draft in next summer’s entry draft, which is loaded with high quality center talent. It may be the most center-heavy draft since 2023, when Connor Bedard, Leo Carlsson, Adam Fantilli and Will Smith all went in the top 4.
So one path out of the current predicament is for Larkin to expand his trade list. If he’s truly tired of all the losing, his warm welcome in Montréal on Saturday night may make him more inclined to consider another Original Six franchise where the fit would likely feel more comfortable.
Until then, Larkin will be faced with the conundrum of being tired of losing and missing the playoffs, while blocking trades as his prime years dwindle away.