Predicting What Will Happen To Red Wings' Larkin And More Unresolved NHL Off-Season Cases

Will Adam Fantilli, Simon Edvinsson and other RFAs sign a new contract before the season? Will Dylan Larkin be a Red Wing on opening night? We look at those players and more unsolved cases.As August approaches, there are typically not many big moves left in the NHL off-season.In this off-season, there are a handful of situations that are still unresolved and continue to generate news and speculation. Some of these predicaments must be confronted before the start of the 2026-27 season.Here are some of the significant unsolved cases in the NHL and a prediction (a look into the crystal ball, if you will) on whether they'll be solved before the coming season rolls around or not.Detroit Red Wings: GM, Edvinsson, LarkinThere is a pile of significant issues that the Detroit Red Wings must address, and that starts at the top of the chain.Before Detroit decides to dive deeper into Dylan Larkin's trade request from earlier this off-season and RFA Simon Edvinsson's new contract, the organization must hire a new GM.The next GM must present their vision for the squad that's missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons.Once that piece of business is taken care of, the organization can work toward signing Edvinsson to a new contract. And with the state of the Red Wings, they'll need to retain the 23-year-old defenseman at all costs.With Larkin, it remains to be seen whether his stance will change with a new GM coming in to replace Steve Yzerman, who's transitioning to an advisory role. If Larkin remains firm on wanting out of Detroit, there isn't much else the Red Wings should do other than try to recoup the best assets they can for the 30-year-old center.PredictionAfter the Red Wings hire a new GM, Edvinsson will get re-signed to a big contract extension, similar to Moritz Seider's current deal, which is $8.55 million per season through 2030-31.As for Larkin, it's hard to see him remaining with the Red Wings for this coming season. Even if his biggest issue was Yzerman's lack of activity to improve the roster, that doesn't change the fact that he's entering his 30s with just one playoff campaign in 2015-16, and Detroit hasn't notably improved on paper since his request.Remaining NHL RFAsDetroit's Edvinsson isn't the only notable RFA who still needs a contract. Gauthier's situation with the Ducks is a little tricky, and that's all thanks to the team matching Leo Carlsson's offer sheet from the Philadelphia Flyers that's worth $18 million annually. In theory, Gauthier should earn around the $10-million mark as a young player who recorded 41 goals this past year, especially if the deal is long-term.Unfortunately for the team and player, they are slightly handicapped, as the Ducks have about $9.07 million in salary cap space to work with. There's enough left to offer Gauthier a shorter extension with the chance to cash in down the road when there's more space available.There have been several reports about a possible trade for Nikishin. The St. Louis Blues have reportedly shown interest in the 24-year-old defenseman. It also sounds like the Russian blueliner is asking for a big payday, but he has only one NHL regular season under his belt. Nikishin is a Stanley Cup champion but provided only one assist in 17 contests during Carolina's playoff run.Fantilli is a key piece to the Blue Jackets' future, and it would be very costly for the franchise if they couldn't keep their first-line center happy this off-season. The 21-year-old is eligible to sign an offer sheet, and although nothing has happened on that front to this point, GM Don Waddell should be careful.PredictionThe Ducks have enough money left to offer Gauthier a shorter extension with the chance to cash in down the road when there's more space available. A two-year deal worth around $8.5 million annually could be a suitable placeholder for Gauthier and the Ducks to keep the core together. By then, veterans Alex Killorn, Mikael Granlund and Chris Kreider will all be off the books.Nikishin's asking price will be too high for the Hurricanes' liking, as the reigning Stanley Cup champions have $9.88 million remaining. A trade seems like the most likely scenario for a team that could receive even more veteran experience as it looks to continue its dominance on the ice in 2026-27.Fantilli will re-sign with the Blue Jackets at a price that might be higher than some anticipated. Columbus is in no position to play hardball with its best players, and after fellow 2023 draft classmates Connor Bedard and Carlsson received incredible contract extensions, Fantilli could be looking for something huge, too.Blue Jackets' FutureOn top of Fantilli needing a new contract, other aspects of the Blue Jackets' future must be resolved sooner rather than later.Kirill Marchenko's future is one of them. He reportedly doesn't intend to sign a contract extension, and there's been speculation about which teams could be interested in the right winger's services, including the Montreal Canadiens.One way or another, Marchenko will have to get paid relatively soon, as the Russian becomes an RFA with arbitration rights next summer. With how he's performed these past two seasons, it's hard to see the 26-year-old not get a massive salary increase from his current $3.85-million cap hit.Then, there's one of the biggest names in hockey and reigning Norris Trophy winner, Zach Werenski. Leading up to July 1, Werenski couldn't get his name out of the rumor mill, especially after the Ottawa Senators' Brady Tkachuk trade and Larkin's trade request.Werenski and Waddell did address the rumors with their own statements on the opening day of free agency, and since then, those murmurs have been nixed. However, if Columbus can't retain talents such as Fantilli and Marchenko, what's in it for Werenski to stick around on a non-playoff team?Werenski's contract is up following the 2027-28 campaign, so the Blue Jackets ideally have until then to remove any doubt about the superstar defenseman staying.PredictionWe think Fantilli and Marchenko will sign contract extensions with the Blue Jackets, but it won't be cheap to keep those two in town. Nonetheless, with what's at stake regarding Werenski's desire to stay in Columbus, Waddell can't risk playing hardball with his stars.Werenski has a no-move clause for the coming season. But in 2027-28, that becomes a 10-team trade list, and there's no guarantee that Waddell won't move him then if there's no clear sign of his top D-man wanting to re-sign.Connor HellebuyckConnor Hellebuyck is another American superstar who has an uncertain future with his squad, the Winnipeg Jets.Hellebuyck is arguably the best active goaltender in the NHL, with three Vezina Trophies to his name, and he was the first goalie to win the Hart Trophy in 2025-26 since Carey Price won in 2015-16.PredictionFrom the Jets' perspective, there's no reason they shouldn't believe they can get back to being a playoff team next season. It's very possible that this past year of Winnipeg finishing seventh in the Central Division was just a blip. With that, it makes a lot of sense for Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff to keep Hellebuyck to at least gauge where the team stands in the first few months of the regular season. If it continues to go downhill, maybe trade discussions get more real around the deadline.However, it must be said that trading a player of Hellebuyck's stature is more of an off-season move. In that case, trading Hellebuyck would make a lot more sense after this coming season, when his trade protection goes from a no-move clause to a 10-team trade list.For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.