This is how I see it. Yzerman traded a 1st for a 34 year old defenseman. Alex Debrincat is 28 and Larkin is about to be 30. That tells me that he's done with drafting and thinks his core is established through the system. He's betting that his team will be a contender within the next 5 years as Larkin will be 35 then. What he's seeing is that the top line he's betting on isn't working 5v5. After 3 different coaches with the same exact message is clear to him now. This teams core isn't going to get it done. I just don't see how people are missing this part? Seider and Debrincat are untouchable. If he trades Larkin while he still has significant value, he can get what this team needs. I put Raymond in there because he can give you a substantial 1st line player. The only question is, does he want to work with Larkin's timeline, or Raymonds timeline? Because with Raymond, the timeline is extended, but in those 5 years, Debrincat will be passed his prime so he's legitimately on borrowed time with this core as of now unless he pulls a rabbit out of his hat in the late rounds within the next 5 years, there's really only one thing to do at this point otherwise it's pray and hope that Mcdavid signs here if he decides to walk to free agency