Hellebuyck's Devils Price Tag Complicates the Larkin Chase

Here's the thing: the Connor Hellebuyck trade didn't just put a Vezina-caliber goalie in New Jersey. It set a price tag that Detroit fans should be studying, because it lands right on top of the Red Wings' own biggest question.

The Devils sent Dawson Mercer, a 24-year-old center, along with Swedish prospect Alexander Command, young goalie Nico Daws, veteran forward Nick Bjugstad, a second-round pick and a seventh-rounder to Winnipeg. In return they got Hellebuyck, the 33-year-old Olympic gold medalist who simply wanted out of Winnipeg. That's a lot of young talent and draft capital for one netminder, and the size of the bill is the real story here.

Why Detroit Is Watching This Closely

The Red Wings had a reason to care more than most. Dylan Larkin, 31, has asked for a trade, and the Devils were among a small group of clubs interested in him. That makes the Mercer-and-Command package the closest thing to a comparable trade reference Detroit has right now. Mercer is a 20-goal scorer, and Command was the No. 12 pick in last June's draft. Detroit would have had real interest in that kind of return, and the Red Wings are also reportedly looking for a first-round pick in any Larkin deal. They aren't in the market for a goalie.

Here's how I read it. When a deal like this sets a market, the asking price for the next comparable player tends to anchor to it. Teams in Detroit's position usually can't force the market to move, but they can point to a recent trade and say, "that's the going rate." The problem for the Devils is that they just spent a good chunk of the young depth they'd normally put on the table for a player like Larkin. That doesn't mean a Larkin deal is off. It means the package has to get more creative, or more expensive.

There's a personal layer, too. The Hughes brothers are reportedly hoping their friend Larkin can join them in New Jersey. That's a nice storyline, but hockey trades rarely bend to friendship. Michael Russo has already broken down how the Hellebuyck move plays into the Larkin situation, and his read on the financial and roster math is worth the time for anyone tracking this. The short version: the Devils got their goalie, but the path to Larkin just got steeper.

The Grand Rapids Pipeline Keeps Producing

The Griffins, Detroit's AHL affiliate, fell 3-2 to the Cleveland Monsters in a game that needed overtime. Jesse Kiiskinen scored his sixth goal of the season, and Sheldon Dries, recently back with Grand Rapids after a stint with the Red Wings, also found the back of the net. Shai Buium, the 2021 pick taken 36th, added an assist and now has six points in nine games. That's the kind of production that makes a prospect start to look like a real option for the big club.

In goal, Trey Augustine, the 2023 41st-round pick, turned aside 35 shots, including six in the extra period. That performance lifted his save percentage to .901 on the season, and he's 2-1-2. Goaltending in the AHL can be a bumpy ride for young netminders, so a night like this helps build the confidence that teams look for before they trust a goalie with bigger minutes.

Prospects Making Noise Across the Organization

With Steve Yzerman no longer running the front office, the development pipeline is getting its own test. The Red Wings' prospects are showing up in Detroit's lineup, and that matters for a club that wants to show its young core is ready. Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is proving he belongs among the NHL's top rookies this season, which is exactly the kind of early success a rebuilding team needs from its newcomers.

Eddie Genborg also drew some attention when Nicklas Lidstrom checked in on the prospect. Having a Red Wings legend take an interest in a young player says plenty about how the organization's history is being passed down to the next generation.

One fun note from the wider prospect world: Will Horcoff, a Penguins prospect and son of Red Wings interim GM Shawn Horcoff, scored with 0.1 seconds left to lift Michigan past No. 5 Western Michigan. That's a moment hockey families will be talking about for a while.

Around the Original Six

In Boston, the Bruins signed Marat Khusnutdinov to a three-year contract extension that carries an average of $3.95 million per season. For a club trying to balance its cap and its young players, that's the sort of mid-range commitment that tells you where the front office sees its depth.

In Philadelphia, William James asks whether the Flyers' youth movement is starting to make veterans like Konecny, York and Ristolainen expendable. That's a question every rebuilding roster eventually faces. Young players need minutes, and veterans on expiring or sizable deals can become trade chips once the timeline shifts.

Pittsburgh's version of that conversation is blunter. The Penguins have to face what rebuilding really means, and the answer usually involves patience that many fans don't want to hear about.

What to Watch Next

The number to track is whatever Detroit gets for Larkin, if a deal happens. If a team pays a premium for a player with his résumé, the Hellebuyck trade becomes the floor, not the ceiling. If the Devils can't match that asking price, the chase could shift to other suitors. Either way, the Mercer-for-Hellebuyck comparison will be the reference point for every conversation about Larkin's future, and the Red Wings know it.