The Buffalo Sabres made a “pretty big offer” to the Detroit Red Wings for suspended center Dylan Larkin within the last few weeks, NHL insider Chris Johnston said Monday on his podcast, The Chris Johnston Show. The report is unconfirmed. The Red Wings have not commented on any offer, and Larkin’s status has not changed: he remains suspended while the team works toward a trade.

The catch, as Johnston described it, is that Buffalo is not one of the 10 teams on Larkin’s approved trade list, and Larkin has not agreed to waive his no-trade clause to go there. That leaves Detroit unable to seriously pursue the Sabres’ proposal unless Larkin changes his mind. The Hockey Writers, which relayed the podcast comments Tuesday, also noted TSN’s Darren Dreger saying Buffalo remains a no-go for Larkin for now, though Dreger suggested that could change the longer he sits out without pay.

Johnston was the first to report Buffalo’s interest in Larkin last week, and ESPN’s Emily Kaplan has since said the Sabres, Canadiens, and Bruins are among the teams trying to get Detroit to have Larkin reconsider his list. The report fits with Pierre LeBrun’s account Tuesday that interim general manager Shawn Horcoff asked Larkin’s agents to expand the list and was turned down.

Larkin has not played since the Red Wings’ Oct. 26 game in Edmonton. His list has already grown from three teams to six and then to 10, and Minnesota has reportedly made multiple offers from among the clubs on it. If the Sabres’ offer is as strong as described, it adds pressure on Larkin’s camp to open the door to another market. The Red Wings return home Thursday to host the Vegas Golden Knights at Little Caesars Arena.

Earlier on Mitten Hockey: Report: Red Wings asked Dylan Larkin’s camp to expand his trade list, and the answer was no and Report: Sabres join Canadiens with interest in Dylan Larkin, though neither is on his trade list.

Sources

• Chris Johnston, The Chris Johnston Show, Nov. 2, as reported by The Hockey Writers
• The Hockey Writers: Dylan Larkin’s Trade List Is Blocking a Big Red Wings Offer
• Jim Parsons, The Hockey Writers: NHL Rumors: Sabres and Larkin, Kucherov on Trade Request, and the Teams Involved
• Don Drysdale, Detroit Sports Nation: Dylan Larkin’s Camp Reportedly Rejects Red Wings’ Latest Trade Request