Dylan Larkin Bubble-Wrapped for 'Asset Protection' as Red Wings Trade Watch Hits Fever Pitch

There is no phrase in modern sports quite as funny as "asset protection." It sounds like a corporate banking strategy, but in the NHL, it just means a team is bubble-wrapping their star player so he does not blow out a knee before they can ship him out of town.

That is exactly where we are with the Detroit Red Wings. According to NHL insider Frank Seravalli, Dylan Larkin is officially sitting out of the lineup until a trade is completed.

"Frank Seravalli reported that Larkin's camp has applied pressure and the plan is to sit him for asset protection."

The pressure is entirely on the front office right now. Seravalli noted that Larkin’s camp has been applying the squeeze, leaving interim GM Shawn Horcoff to figure out the logistics and face the music.

If you were looking at the betting board for tonight's matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks, you might want to adjust your math. Pulling your captain and top center out of the lineup hours before puck drop is the kind of market-moving news that sends moneylines into a blender.

Detroit is coming off a 4-3 road win over the Edmonton Oilers, but the on-ice product is officially taking a backseat to the business of hockey. Larkin has been the face of this franchise for years, and now his final days in Detroit will apparently be spent wearing a suit in the press box.

Horcoff is expected to address the media soon to explain the situation. Until a deal is finalized, Larkin remains on ice—figuratively, of course—and the rest of the league is on high alert waiting to see where the captain lands.