Red Wings GM Shawn Horcoff Puts a Neon 'For Sale' Sign on Dylan Larkin

NHL general managers usually treat trade rumors like state secrets, speaking in vague riddles about evaluating all options. Detroit Red Wings GM Shawn Horcoff apparently missed that memo, openly admitting his phone is ringing off the hook as he prepares for a potential Dylan Larkin trade.

You do not just casually float your captain and franchise center in the rumor mill unless you are ready to pull the trigger. Horcoff telling the media his phone rang a lot today is the hockey equivalent of putting a giant, neon For Sale sign on the front lawn of Little Caesars Arena.

"‘My phone rang a lot today’: Red Wings GM Horcoff"

Larkin has been the heartbeat of this roster for years. Moving the number 71 is not a minor roster tweak. It is a seismic shift that alters the entire trajectory of the franchise and tells the fanbase exactly where management thinks this current core is heading.

The timing is fascinating. Detroit just wrapped up a western Canada road trip where they looked perfectly capable, beating the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 and edging the Edmonton Oilers 4-3, with a 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames sandwiched in between. They are winning games, but the front office is clearly looking at a much bigger, longer-term picture.

For the betting markets and fantasy managers, this is a massive red flashing light. Wherever a healthy, top-line center like Larkin lands, the futures odds for that team are going to instantly shrink, while Detroit's immediate offensive ceiling takes a massive hit.

The Red Wings are back home to host the Chicago Blackhawks on October 29th before facing the St. Louis Blues on Halloween. The only question now is whether Larkin will still be wearing the winged wheel by the time the puck drops, or if Horcoff finally answers one of those phone calls with a yes.