The Detroit Red Wings are shopping Dylan Larkin after he demanded a trade, but getting enough in return for their team captain will be tricky.
Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined Morning Edition host Doug Tribou to look at that story, the Stanley Cup Final, the Detroit Tigers' timely turnaround, and more sports news.
Doug Tribou: The Tigers won six games in all of May. They have now won seven games in June with more than half of the month left. As of this moment, two-time defending Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is expected to pitch Saturday against Cleveland after missing several weeks following elbow surgery. What else will you be watching for during this series with the Guardians — one of the teams Detroit’s chasing?
John U. Bacon: The Tigers' bats. We're always talking about the pitching, but the bats have really been the problem, not the pitching. They're batting .236 — that's the team [as a whole], Doug. In the old days, if you're a second baseman batting .236, you're in the minor leagues. So they're ranking 24th out of 30th. That has got to improve no matter who is on the mound.
DT: And they've certainly been putting out more runs lately. They had 11 runs in their win on Thursday, so we'll see how it goes this weekend against Cleveland.
Let's turn to hockey. Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin wants a trade. Larkin has a full no-trade clause, meaning he can refuse a trade to any team. According to multiple media reports, he initially gave Detroit a list of three teams he’d be willing to join — and that list has since expanded. Larkin is 29 and after missing the playoffs again this season, he wants to be somewhere where he believes he can win. But what are the dynamics for the Wings as they try to navigate this situation?
JUB: Mostly bad, Doug. How's that for Mr. Cheerful on a Friday morning? Look, it's a gut punch for Red Wings fans. Larkin is from the Detroit area, born and raised. Went to the University of Michigan for a year, been their captain for many years, named by Steve Yzerman himself to be the captain. Supposed to be the next Yzerman. And here he is wanting out. That's a very bad sign. That's a whole flock of canaries in a coal mine, of course. So that is bad.
And now you've got a top player who everyone knows does not want to play there. So it's a fire sale. Motivated seller, they know you have to move and you have to sell your house basically. So they'll get something good for him. But now the bigger dynamics are, is this a full-blown fire sale? Do you have to scrap yet another rebuild having not made the playoffs for ten straight years? And my guess is they probably do have to scrap it all and start all over again.
DT: Well, let's talk about some NHL teams that are having a little more success, John. In the Stanley Cup Final, the Carolina Hurricanes have taken a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series. What’s gotten your attention during their matchup with the Vegas Golden Knights?
JUB: Well, it has been absolutely fantastic hockey. The average score of these five games has been 5-4. High scoring, close, nothing more than two goal leads. It's just been fantastic between two teams that I simply don't care about at all. So there's that.
DT: The Golden Knights and Hurricanes will play game six on Sunday night.
Pop quiz, John. How many points do you have to be ahead by to be sure that you will beat the New York Knicks?
JUB: [Laughs] A month ago, I would have told you 15. Fifteen means you have a 99% chance of winning an NBA game in the fourth quarter with a 15-point lead. And then the Knicks, in the playoffs, came back from 22 points down [against Cleveland]. That was an incredible game.
And then they broke the NBA record in the finals. They're down 29 points and they won. Now, I love watching the various articles. You know, "greatest comeback ever." Those are the New York papers in Texas, where San Antonio plays, you're going to see, "greatest choke ever." So you pick.
DT: So the game plan for San Antonio in game five is go up by at least 30 points [Laughs].
JUB: [Laughs] Guys, we have 28 points. We know this is not going to hold. So going to need a little more here, boys.
Editor's note: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full interview near the top of this page.
