For weeks, the Montreal Canadiens looked like one of the most intriguing potential landing spots for Dylan Larkin.

That possibility may now be effectively dead.

Despite Larkin reportedly expanding the number of teams he would consider joining, NHL insider Darren Dreger says the Detroit Red Wings center still isn’t willing to reconsider his stance on playing for a Canadian team.

That leaves Montreal on the outside.

And according to Dreger, it may be time to stop waiting for that to change.

Darren Dreger Says Larkin ‘Ship Has Sailed’

The Canadiens have been connected to Larkin throughout the offseason as Montreal searches for another impact center.

There has always been one enormous problem.

Larkin controls where he goes.

His contract includes no-trade protection, and Montreal has not been among the destinations he has been willing to approve. That apparently remains the case despite Larkin becoming more flexible elsewhere.

“I think the Larkin ship has sailed because he doesn’t seem to be willing to reconsider his position on a Canadian team, in this case, the Montreal Canadiens,” Dreger said during a recent appearance on TSN 690’s Morning Show.

That represents an important development because Larkin has reportedly expanded his acceptable trade list from the small group of teams initially connected to him.

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on 32 Thoughts that Larkin was willing to provide Detroit with additional options, potentially expanding his list to around eight teams. Friedman reported that Detroit was also expected to approach Larkin about other possibilities if it found a trade worth pursuing, and that he did not believe any Canadian teams were on the expanded list.

Apparently, none of that flexibility extends north of the border.

Montreal Had Real Interest

That is what makes the development more significant than another team simply dropping out of the rumor mill.

Montreal reportedly wanted Larkin.

Earlier this month, TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie said Larkin could already have been a Canadien if he had been willing to approve Montreal as a destination.

“If Larkin agreed to play for the Canadiens, he would be at the golf tournament today,” Lavoie said at the time.

Lavoie also reported that people around Larkin had spoken positively to him about Montreal, but the former Red Wings captain remained unwilling to put the Canadiens on his list.

That was the obstacle then.

It still appears to be the obstacle now.

The Canadiens’ interest made enough sense on paper that Montreal prospect and University of Michigan center Michael Hage even emerged as an intriguing name in the trade speculation. There was never a report that Montreal offered Hage or that Detroit demanded him, but the 2024 first-round pick represented the type of young asset that could have made a hypothetical conversation interesting.

It doesn’t matter if Larkin won’t approve the destination.

Larkin Still Controls His Destination

That remains the defining element of this entire saga.

Larkin requested a trade earlier this offseason but is under contract with Detroit through the 2030-31 season at an $8.7 million annual cap hit. He also possesses contractual protection that gives him substantial control over where Detroit can send him.

Larkin publicly addressed his trade request for the first time during training camp, saying the decision “wasn’t easy” and that he understood the consequences that followed, including losing the Red Wings captaincy. Larkin said he was not ready to publicly explain the personal reasons that led him to request a trade.

That leaves Detroit in an unusual position.

Larkin wants a change. The Red Wings have no obligation to make a bad trade simply to accommodate him. And any potential destination still has to clear Larkin’s contractual restrictions.

Expanding his list gives Detroit more room to operate.

Keeping Montreal off it removes one potentially motivated buyer.

Canadiens May Have to Look Elsewhere

There is always a chance circumstances change.

Trade lists can change. Team needs change. Players reconsider destinations. What Larkin is willing to approve in September does not necessarily dictate what he would approve months from now.

But the latest reporting offers little reason to believe Montreal is about to reenter the picture.

Dreger’s message was unusually straightforward.

The “ship has sailed.”

The Canadiens can have the need, the cap space and the assets to make Detroit listen.

They still can’t make the trade happen.

For now, one of the most fascinating potential destinations in the Dylan Larkin saga appears to be disappearing from the board.