Quick Hits: Larkin is the Center of Attention

AROUND THE NHL

Why protected lists should be public ahead of expansion draft | TSN

Perhaps even more intriguing to me is the possibility -- which another GM alerted me to on Monday -- that the protected lists might also not be shared among teams before the draft, meaning they would be shut out just like the rest of us.

The issue here, I think, is that some GMs are hesitant to let everyone else in the league see how they are ranking or otherwise valuing their own players.

I would argue that they already do show their cards when they reveal how they compensate the players in terms of salary. But I suppose that, if lower-paid players end up getting protected over higher-paid players in some cases, teams might not want that kind of naked truth being blatantly blasted out there for posterity.

Some interesting stuff from Pierre LeBrun over at TSN yesterday on the upcoming expansion draft. One thing I’ve definitely never thought of is the impact of the protected lists in regards to other teams. The talk is always about management dealing with players. This adds a new wrinkle because other GMs will get a sense of how teams value certain players.

LeBrun goes a little more in-depth on the topic and it’s worth a read for sure. One thing he does mention is that if the lists aren’t provided to all 30 teams currently in the league, it means Vegas is the only franchise with knowledge of the lists and may give them an advantage.

Quite frankly, the NHL needs to make the expansion draft a huge extravaganza and should make all the info public. Make it like a TV game show. Go wild and have fun.

IN RED WINGS LAND

Notes: Mantha back in; Larkin to remain at center | Detroit Red Wings

However, there is a widely held view that Larkin is a center and he needs to play that position, even if it means going through some severe growing pains at the NHL level.

This.

This all day long please.

Having an elite center is crucial to winning in the NHL. The Red Wings are so far away from a Stanley Cup and we don’t know if we’ll ever be able to call Dylan Larkin an “elite center.” What we do know is that he has potential to be very good. It’s been a rough season for him and the entire team. Right now, it’s all about the future. Larkin needs to get all the experience he can at the center position, so when this Wings team is actually ready to compete he can go toe-to-toe with the best centers across the league.

Let’s Go Red Wings.