The Bruins are pushing harder for Dylan Larkin, and the Canadiens are right there with them, multiple NHL sources told Sick Media on Tuesday night.
Boston's name has been tied to the Red Wings center since Saturday morning. According to Sick Media, that chatter started less than 12 hours after news broke that Nikita Kucherov wants out of Tampa Bay.
The Bruins are 11-4-1 and open Thursday at Pittsburgh, so this isn't a team shopping out of desperation. It's a contender looking to add down the middle.
One source told Sick Media: "I know the Bruins have been on the Peripheral when it comes to Larkin but now they're pushing harder." Sick Media also describes Larkin as a disgruntled former Red Wings captain.
Larkin has 2 goals and 4 assists in 10 games this season for a Detroit team that sits at 7-6-3 as of its last update.
The catch is the price. The source says the Wings want James Hagens and the Bruins aren't doing that, and Mason Lohrei has come up as well. Boston's stance on its young centers matches Ty Anderson's report on Hagens and Minten.
Why Pavel Zacha could be Boston's real Larkin chip
The same source floated another route. "I do wonder if the Bruins could convince Detroit that Zacha is more of an immediate impact and if they include Mason Lohrei or a first round pick, does that get it done."
Pavel Zacha has 10 points in 15 games and is an impending unrestricted free agent. By all reports he isn't close to an extension in Boston, which makes him the most logical piece to move.
Lohrei is a different matter. The source doubts he goes either, given the start he's had and where Boston sits. He has 3 goals and 3 assists in 16 games, and he's a 25-year-old defenseman with a 6'5 frame. Trading him for a 30-year-old center would be a mistake.
Hagens would be worse. He has 12 points in 16 games, and he was drafted seventh overall only last year. Giving him up for Larkin is a bad trade at any price.
Montreal's problem is similar. Sources keep pointing to top prospect Michael Hage as the Canadiens' main offer, but the source was blunt: "That's not happening as far as the Canadiens are concerned."
TSN's Darren Dreger said Tuesday that Don Sweeney and Kent Hughes are both "very eager to get involved." He added that neither team has landed Larkin yet. Frank Seravalli's earlier report on Larkin had said Boston isn't on the center's preferred list.
So the Bruins have the interest and Detroit has its ask, but the two sides haven't matched up. Boston plays in Pittsburgh on Thursday while Zacha's contract situation stays unresolved.
