The Detroit Red Wings are poised to take a major leap forward in their rebuilding process next season thanks to the multiple additions that general manager Steve Yzerman made last month, including bringing aboard the likes of Andrew Copp, David Perron, Olli Maatta, Ben Chiarot and Dominik Kubalik as well as trading for goaltender Ville Husso. They’ll be added to a group that already includes several solid players that make up Detroit’s top 6, including Dylan Larkin, Tyler Bertuzzi, and Jakub Vrana.
Larkin was on pace for a career season before ultimately electing to undergo core muscle surgery, ending his campaign early. Still, it was a renascence season for the second-year Red Wings captain, scoring 31 goals with 38 assists for 69 points.
Larkin is entering the final year of his current contract that sees him get paid an annual salary of $6.1 million, and he’ll be due for a raise come this time next year.
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According to Ansar Khan of MLive, Larkin could look at similarly signed deals around the NHL that have seen at least 10 players at the center position earn north of $9 million a season. Additionally, he writes that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Larkin and his camp, which now includes new representation, look for a deal that spans up to eight seasons.
Dylan Larkin could earn a big time raise in his next contract
“(Sam) Reinhart signed a three-year deal one year ago that has a $6.5 million cap hit,” Khan wrote earlier today. “Larkin will get much more than that, perhaps in the $8 million range.”
“It likely will be an eight-year deal, the maximum term to which teams can sign their own players. Including the upcoming season, that would take the contract through the 2030-31 season when he’s 34.”
“If no deal is in place in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, it will fuel speculation on whether the Red Wings should move Larkin. That would be his call since he has a no-trade clause. But it’s not likely to reach that point.”
Larkin, who was drafted 15th overall by Detroit in 2014, has scored 147 goals with 211 assists in 504 career games.
