In today’s NHL Rumor Mill: Red Wings center Dylan Larkin remains linked to the Canadiens, plus the latest on Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, Hurricanes defenseman Alexander Nikishin, and Blue Jackets winger Dmitri Voronkov.

DYLAN LARKIN REMAINS LINKED TO THE CANADIENS

TSN: Pierre LeBrun believes there’s still a chance Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin changes his mind and includes the Montreal Canadiens on his list of trade destinations.

Larkin, 30, recently expanded his trade list to 10 teams, but none of them were Canadian clubs. However, LeBrun said the Red Wings are “actively scouting the Canadiens, among other teams of course.” He claimed they’re “doing their due diligence in person” in case Larkin adds them to his list. They’re aware of what the Canadiens were offering for wingers Matthew Knies and Kirill Marchenko earlier this year.

Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin (NHL Images)

LeBrun also said Nick Suzuki’s injury has no bearing on the Canadiens’ rumored interest in Larkin, pointing out that the Habs captain will be sidelined for two weeks.

Chris Johnston added that the Los Angeles Kings and Boston Bruins weren’t on Larkin’s trade list, but he thinks both clubs could use a center like him.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: Adam Proteau suggested Suzuki’s injury could put pressure on Canadiens management to acquire a veteran center.

Proteau noted their rumored interest in Larkin, but he’s currently uninterested in a trade to a Canadian team. He wondered if they could interest Nashville Predators center Ryan O’Reilly in coming to Montreal, but acknowledged that was probably a long shot.

Jake Tye recently cited NHL insider Frank Seravalli, who said trade talks between the Red Wings and Minnesota Wild regarding Larkin stalled largely because the Wings have “balked a little bit” about the quality of young Wild forward Danila Yurov being one of the centerpieces in the deal.

SPORTSNET: Elliotte Friedman reports the Red Wings seek young centers in return for Larkin and for unsigned defenseman Simon Edvinsson. That could include top prospects who aren’t in the NHL yet.

Frank Seravalli reports the play of several of the Canadiens’ promising young players and prospects could determine how aggressive they’ll be in the trade market. Their solutions might come from within.

If they do make a significant move, top prospect Michael Hage won’t be available. How young defensemen like David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom and Luke Mittelstadt perform could force the Canadiens to consider moving a veteran, such as Kaiden Guhle or Mike Matheson.

Seravalli believes the last thing the Canadiens want to do is acquire an older veteran who will be on the decline. He speculated their next addition could be similar to their acquisition of Phillip Danault last season “a stabilizing force without a large future acquisition cost or any long-term strings attached.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Canadiens management have been searching for a top-six forward (preferably a center) for the past two years. They have the trade capital to make a significant addition, but second-line centers are as scarce as hen’s teeth in the trade market. As we saw in the bidding war for Marchenko, they weren’t willing to part with a young star like Juraj Slafkovsky or Ivan Demidov. Nor should they.

Canadiens hockey ops president Jeff Gorton and general manager Kent Hughes have been lauded for their patience when making trades. They’ll likely take the same approach in dealing with Suzuki’s absence.

The Canadiens front office has obviously expressed an interest in Larkin. That explains why the Red Wings are scouting them personally despite the fact they don’t face each other again until next February. And yes, it’s worthwhile for both teams to conduct due diligence in case Larkin adds Montreal to his list.

However, Larkin’s current destination choices suggest he believes his best chance of playing for a winner lies with American-based teams. It could be simply because a Canadian team hasn’t won the Cup since 1993. Whatever the rationale, he’s made it clear that Canadian clubs don’t interest him.

At this stage, Larkin accepting a trade to Montreal seems more like wishful thinking.

THE LATEST ON THE HURRICANES

SPORTSNET: Frank Seravalli claims Carolina Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky has been “all over Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets” since word broke that the 33-year-old goaltender requested a trade.

Meanwhile, Elliotte Friedman said he’s heard the Hurricanes could make another attempt to acquire Hellebuyck. However, their offer wouldn’t include unsigned defenseman Alexander Nikishin

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports Nikishin still wants to be traded. The Hurricanes continue to explore the trade market for the 25-year-old restricted free agent, but they’re also open to signing him to a one-year contract and trying to move him again next summer.

The Hurricanes have also told Nikishin that he’d be eligible to sign an offer sheet next summer if he accepts a one-year deal for this season. However, the blueliner remains determined to be traded now.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Friedman believes if there were a trade package for Hellebuyck that would’ve included Nikishin, that deal would’ve been done by now. The reason is Nikishin doesn’t want to sign with the Jets.

No word on what the Hurricanes could offer the Jets, but it would probably have to include a young forward like Logan Stankoven or Jackson Blake. Manitoba native Seth Jarvis would be a perfect fit in Winnipeg, but I don’t think the Hurricanes would part with him.

BLUE JACKETS WINGER DMITRI VORONKOV BECOMES A TRADE TARGET

TSN: Pierre LeBrun reports multiple teams are calling the Columbus Blue Jackets about Dmitri Voronkov. He said there’s no guarantee the Jackets will part with the 6’5”, 230-pound winger, but they are listening to calls.

Voronkov is in the final season of a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.175 million. He’s a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next July and will be UFA-eligible in 2028 unless he signs a long-term deal.