‘My phone rang a lot today’: Red Wings GM Horcoff prepares for Larkin trade

Shawn Horcoff has been a busy man already this season – and that’s not going to change anytime soon.

The interim GM of the Detroit Red Wings addressed the media on Thursday night following the news that former captain Dylan Larkin had been suspended by the club. The decision came in the wake of Larkin not attending team practice ahead of Thursday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Larkin had previously requested a trade over the summer, with reports suggesting he had recently upped his list of teams he’d be willing to be traded to to 10.

“The truth is, when you have a player of Dylan’s caliber available, your phone rings daily,” Horcoff said in a media availability on Thursday evening. “And my phone rang a lot today.”

Horcoff said the Red Wings got the call from Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, earlier in the day, saying that Larkin was not going to return to the rink and was no longer going to partake in anything with the Wings.

“Since I got the job, from Day 1, I’ve worked extensively, exhaustively with CAA to find a solution for Dylan,” Horcoff said. “We’ve talked to the teams on Dylan’s list. We’ve talked to other teams and taken calls from other teams around the league that have expressed interest in Dylan. And we just continue to try to find a solution that fits for both sides. We have to be sensitive to Dylan and his situation and understand what he wants in this relationship.

“But at the same time, we have a responsibility to our players in the locker room, the 22 other guys in the locker room, the coaching staff, management, the fans, to also do what’s right for the organization.”

Horcoff said he was impressed with how the rest of the team handled the news about Larkin’s departure.

“They’ve done an amazing job this year dealing with a lot of outside noise,” Horcoff said. “I’ve been very, very impressed with our leadership group, which has grown substantially since the start of the year. The older guys that are on top of that, the younger guys are showing some beginnings of leadership in their own right. And these guys have responded very well. They face a lot of adversity given all the situations we’ve gone through. And it’s been very, very impressive. They’ve shown up to work every night. I’ve been extremely happy with how they’ve handled it and how they’ve played.”

As for what the Red Wings are hoping for in a trade?

“I think the goal is to get players that can help us right away,” Horcoff said. “But at the same time, the ultimate goal is is the long-term success of the organization. I’m open to all different kinds of deals, and really we’re just trying to find something that that is fair and for a return for someone of Dylan’s caliber. He’s a heck of a player on a good contract… we showed a commitment to him, and when that happens, they’re a major part of your long-term plans. And when you remove someone like that, it becomes difficult to kind of replace.”