D-Boss’s dungeon is staying in Detroit, folks.
Dylan Larkin has agreed to an eight-year, $69.6 million dollar extension. That averages out to an $8.7M AAV per season. Per CapFriendly, the deal also includes a full no-trade clause for the first five years of the deal, and a limited no-trade clause in the final three years.
Although there were certainly some tense moments watching this unfold, Larkin’s return to the Red Wings never really seemed in doubt. The two sides had spoken openly about wanting to make an extension happen as far back as last Summer, and there didn’t seem to be any of the “well… we’ll see what happens… I’m just focusing on hockey right now” pitter-patter that usually precedes a free agent bolting for a bigger paycheck as soon as July 1st rolls around. An extension always seemed like the end result.
It also solidifies Larkin as a key piece to build a winning team around. Over the past two seasons, especially, Larkin has proven he’s a top-10 caliber center in the league capable of doing a lot of things extremely well on both ends of the ice.
Over the last two seasons Dylan Larkin has blossomed into a player averaging 2.8 wins. If he can keep that up he’ll be well worth $8.7 million per year where the expectation is closer to 2.2 wins per season. pic.twitter.com/iaoMaI90lV
— dom ️ (@domluszczyszyn) March 1, 2023
For now though, we can all exhale at the peace of knowing we won’t be on pins and needles until July.