There’s a lot to digest as the hockey world reels from the stunning Dylan Larkin news that came out Thursday, his trade request putting the Detroit Red Wings in an unenviable spot.For starters, underestimate Wings general manager Steve Yzerman at your own peril when he’s put in a corner like this.Let’s go back to when Martin St. Louis asked for a trade away from the Tampa Bay Lightning in March of 2014. Yzerman ended up pulling an absolute masterpiece out of what looked like a near-impossible situation, given that St. Louis wanted to end up with the New York Rangers and had no-trade leverage.Yzerman dealt St. Louis and a second-round pick to the Rangers for Ryan Callahan, two first-round picks and a seventh-round pick. In the end, he did well by St. Louis, who got his wish to end up in New York, where he helped lead the Rangers to the 2014 Cup Final, but the return was fantastic for Tampa Bay. Callahan was a great leader for that team, which was in the Stanley Cup Final within a year of the trade, basically starting Tampa Bay’s decade-plus run of excellence.Not to mention that Yzerman also eventually met Jonathan Drouin’s trade request in June of 2017 by turning him into Mikhail Sergachev.Listen, no one can know yet how this Larkin situation will play out. But one thing I won’t do is doubt Yzerman’s ability to pull a rabbit out of a hat in this particular set of circumstances.The news, first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, took many teams by surprise. The dozen or so front offices I heard back from didn’t see it coming.But it also needs to be said that this was not information that Larkin’s camp, led by agents Pat Brisson and Matt Williams, wanted out there. I can assure you of that, though Brisson declined comment when reached, not wanting to elaborate at this delicate, early stage of things.The veteran agent from CAA Sports no doubt would have preferred to manage this behind the scenes in a careful and respectful manner with Yzerman.Because Brisson is aware of what many of us are: You push Yzerman into a corner now with this kind of public attention on the matter, who knows what may come of this situation.“Puts Detroit in a tough place,” said one NHL GM, who requested anonymity because the league prohibits talking about other teams’ players. “They don’t have to trade him. He signed the contract and got the full trade protection.”If I were to read between the lines of what the GM was saying there, the message is that Yzerman would be within his rights to say, “OK, you want to be traded, but then I get every team in the league on the table. Not just a few teams.”My understanding is that Yzerman has been handed a short list of teams at this point, but sometimes these things evolve, and that list can grow or change.Again, who knows how Yzerman will decide to manage this? But putting a gun to his head is not advisable.Brisson is an experienced agent who has gotten many clients moved in the past, notably Pierre-Luc Dubois after his trade request to the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Matt Duchene after his trade request to the Colorado Avalanche. He’s very respected by GMs and tries to do things in a manner that works for all parties involved. So he will absolutely tread carefully here.Playing hardball, however, may not be too realistic an option for Detroit, either. The Red Wings are under the gun after missing the playoffs for nine years in a row. Letting such a prime asset sit at home or letting this drag on into next season probably isn’t ideal to give Detroit the best shot possible at finally getting over that hump. So I suspect Yzerman will try to make the best of this situation.There are all kinds of obvious potential fits for Larkin, led by the likes of the Los Angeles Kings (not only has Anze Kopitar retired, but Ken Holland drafted Larkin in Detroit), Minnesota Wild (GM’d by Larkin’s Team USA GM, Bill Guerin) and Montreal Canadiens (he’d be ideal for their hole at second-line center).But I mean, there will be 12 or 15 teams that will inquire, to be sure. These guys so rarely become available.What if the Dallas Stars can’t extend Jason Robertson? Maybe they will become a trade partner.What about the Boston Bruins? I like that fit, too.There are all kinds of scenarios that could come into play depending on Larkin’s flexibility and wishes.But again, as dire as this news had to be to receive for the Red Wings, I think they’ve got a GM with the kind of track record of dealing with this type of thing.Hischier-Devils talksNico Hischier’s agent, Allain Roy, met with New Jersey Devils GM Sunny Mehta at the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo. It was their second meeting after the agent dropped into Newark before going to the World Championship last month.Per league sources, there have been preliminary discussions on what an extension might look like, but the sides haven’t gotten to the heavy lifting. Some teams are paying very close attention. But if I were to handicap things, I still think the most likely scenario is that Hischier stays put and signs an extension with the Devils. He’s a super loyal guy. He’s proud to be their captain.The only way I see it happening is if New Jersey can’t get into the ballpark in terms of salary and term in this new salary cap landscape that Roy and Hischier want.Canadiens’ Hischier interestMontreal will keep an eye on how the Larkin situation plays out, but to me, Hischier is the best fit for the Canadiens. And there’s no doubt the Habs are keeping super close tabs on that, too.Hischier is a left-handed Nick Suzuki. The fit is beyond perfect for Montreal if Hischier were ever actually available. I think the Canadiens would be willing to pay a real price and not mess around in that trade scenario.Lee-Islanders negotiationsIt was status quo on the Anders Lee front as of Friday.As I reported earlier this week, it’s most likely that the pending unrestricted free agent will head to the market on July 1. Islanders GM Mathieu Darche hasn’t given up on trying to bridge the gap and find a way to re-sign his captain, but Darche met with Lee’s agent, Neil Sheehy, at the combine, and the sides remained a sizeable gap apart on what a deal could look like.One thing I’ve learned over the years, though, is that there’s a difference between early June and July 1. Deadlines force everyone’s hand. While it doesn’t look good right now for Lee to be re-signing, things can change.Predators hire BlakeAre the Nashville Predators on a roll, or what?Three days after announcing the hire of Chris MacFarland as their new hockey boss after somehow prying him out of Colorado, the club announced the hiring of Rob Blake as executive vice president of hockey operations on Friday.Blake took this season off to decompress and mull over his next move after mutually agreeing to step down as Kings GM last spring. My understanding is that he had actually talked to MacFarland earlier this season about a potential role in the Colorado front office down the road. With MacFarland bolting to Nashville, it turns out Blake followed him there instead.There were conversations with other teams, as well. The Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman was an attractive front-office free agent.Ferraro’s awards ideaLove this idea that ESPN’s Ray Ferraro shared with me Thursday morning ahead of Game 2 at the Stanley Cup Final. The NHL awards have become a bit of a wasteland exercise now, with no actual awards show. The announcements get made on social media, but there’s no way to give them the kind of stage they deserve.Ferraro’s idea? Why not invite the award winners to the Cup Final and make a big deal with a pregame presentation?Like, Bobby Orr or Nicklas Lidstrom on the ice, presenting Zach Werenski with the Norris Trophy. That kind of thing. You could spread out the awards throughout the Cup Final. This is the big stage at this time of year, with the Stanley Cup on the line. Why not showcase the award winners on that stage?I love it. Sign me up for the Ferraro Awards Plan.Tortorella aftermathNow a word on Vegas Golden Knights coach John Tortorella’s failed coach’s challenge from Game 2.People arguing over whether the play should have stood as a goal or was goalie interference are missing the real point. As I posted on X during Game 5 of the Eastern Conference final, when Montreal lost a coach’s challenge after it sure looked like Logan Stankoven was guilty of goalie interference, the NHL is not interested in overturning the call on the ice in these instances.For context, the NHL addressed coaches’ challenges for goalie interference in lengthy sessions at the March 2025 GM meetings. In those meetings, commissioner Gary Bettman warned GMs very clearly, and then reiterated what he told them to the media afterward, that teams should only challenge if they were absolutely sure there was 100 percent conclusive evidence the call on the ice should be overturned.Man, did that ever stick with me when Bettman said that. Like, hello? The most powerful man in the NHL is telling you he doesn’t want the call on the ice overturned unless it’s 100 percent clear it should be. So that means 60-40 doesn’t cut it, heck, 80-20 doesn’t cut it.Rod Brind’Amour gets it. The Carolina Hurricanes coach has said twice in this series that his team knows it would take a lot for a call on the ice to be overturned. He got the memo. Torts wasn’t wrong for thinking the puck was loose and maybe they had a case for a good goal. But he was wrong for not realizing what’s happened here, dating back to Bettman’s comments at the ’25 March GM meetings.I’m telling you right now, if I’m either team in this Cup Final, I’m not using a Coach’s Challenge for goalie interference, not to mention the fact that the standard for goalie interference seems to be less clear this season on top of it all.Stay clear of it, I say. Why give away a free power play?Fletcher’s passingAnd finally, what a sad day with the news of Cliff Fletcher’s passing. The Hockey Hall of Fame executive was one of the best GMs in NHL history and, even more so, a world-class person. A true gentleman in every sense of the word. All class.When I broke into the business in 1995, Fletcher was GM of the Maple Leafs, and it blew my mind as a nobody, 23-year-old rookie reporter for the Canadian Press that he took the time to talk to me and share his ideas for his team and talk hockey. Over the years, my conversations with Fletcher were such a blast. He loved talking about the game and told great stories.Fletcher was GM of Team Canada at the 2000 World Championship in St. Petersburg, Russia, which I covered, and every night we would congregate and talk hockey over some cold ones. I learned a lot from him. I last saw him at a common friend’s cottage in Muskoka for dinner a few years ago. His mind was as sharp as a tack, again regaling us with amazing hockey stories.Rest In Peace, Silver Fox. You will be tremendously missed by so many in the hockey world.