A couple of weeks ago Ken Holland had a big decision to make when it came to Dylan Larkin’s future—bridge the gap on a short-term deal or lock up the 21-year-old long-term. Holland chose the latter and sent a pretty clear message to the hockey world that the front office believes in Larkin to be the centerpiece of their rebuilding phase.
Larkin’s 5-year, $30.5M contract extension couldn’t have come at a better time either, with growing concerns from Holland whether Henrik Zetterberg will actually play this season. If this team is committed to making Larkin their next leader (and by every indication we’ve seen over the summer in the media, they are), then this is absolutely the right time to give him a lengthier extension coming off a career-high 63-point season that led all Red Wings players.