The Detroit Red Wings may not be signing coach Mike Babcock to a contract extension as imminently as was previously reported today, but they haven't stopped working on a deal that could land them an impact defenseman.
The Wings and general manager Ken Holland are apparently still talking to the Buffalo Sabres about big youngster, Tyler Myers.
"I'm told the asking price from the Sabres for Myers is prospect Dylan Larkin, a roster player along the lines of a Riley Sheahan or Tomas Jurco, and a first-round pick," writes Ken Campbell of TheHockeyNews.com. "That seems like an awful lot for an underachieving player who still has five years on his deal with a cap hit of $5.5 million per season."
The Sabres are pretty good cap-wise so they're really in no rush to move Myers. This deal, should it go down, will be costly - even for a team as stocked at the AHL level as the Wings - especially as Larkin continues to perform in fairly fantastic fashion in the college ranks.
"Larkin, the Red Wings first-round choice (15th overall) last June, is scoring at a point-per-game pace as a true freshman with the University of Michigan and will likely be on the U.S. World Junior team. Given the Red Wings ability to properly develop players and prepare them for the NHL, Larkin could be a long-term second- or third-line center."
While Myers is still the main focal point of their desires, Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green is the expected consolation prize.
"The speculation is that the prospect of getting Myers, something that has been percolating all season and is still very much alive, is the top priority. If that fails, the Red Wings figure they can pick Green up as a relatively inexpensive rental player."
Green is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after this season and, while he is deficient in his own zone, he is a very strong offensive presence.
