Quick Hits: The Larkin-Letter Edition

In Red Wings Land

Growing Up: Larkin putting the 'A' in U.S.A | NHL.com
Good piece here on the more-vocal role Larkin has on a team that is much closer to his age group, on how Blashill didn't just give him the letter because he's the NHL coach either, and how Larkin is taking lessons learned on leadership from the Wings' room into his high-performing role on Team USA.

"With the year I had, where things didn't go as I wanted, coming here and being a leader is valuable experience," said Larkin, who had 17 goals and 32 points in 80 games this season. "You also learn things from guys like Henrik Zetterberg, Niklas Kronwall, Justin Abdelkader, Pavel Datsyuk … you see those guys and the way they lead, and they're not any different. They're not trying to be a hero. They come to the rink and work. That's something I've tried to bring over here, and it's something I'll carry for the rest of my career."

Around the NHL

Here are teams the Bruins could trade with to get left-shot defensemen | Boston Globe
You have to get halfway down this article, but Fluto Shinzawa thinks Kevin Shattenkirk could use the Wings' thirst to suck less on the back end to leverage a better-paying deal from a better team in free agency. Personally, I'd just as soon pass on a complimentary piece like him during what should be a rebuild cycle.

Bonus - Congrats Griffins!