Five Key Stories: 5/23/22 – 5/29/22

As the playoffs continue on, there was plenty of notable news away from the ice which gets the spotlight in our key stories.

Agent Change: Generally speaking, a player changing agents isn’t big news.  But when it’s a prominent player making the switch just before extension talks are set to begin as Red Wings center Dylan Larkin did, it’s newsworthy.  His former agency at KO Sports indicated in a statement that extensive work had already been done on preparations to begin extension talks so Detroit fans should be pleased that there appears to be a willingness on his end to extend his stay with his hometown team.  Larkin will now be represented by CAA and agents Matt Williams and Pat Brisson.  He will have a $6.1MM AAV next season and is well-positioned for a nice raise on that for his next contract.

Marchand To Miss Extended Time: The Bruins will be without a star winger when the puck drops on the 2022-23 season as Brad Marchand underwent successful hip arthroscopy and labral repair on both of his hips.  The procedure carries a recovery time of roughly six months which means he is likely to miss at least the first month of next season.  His absence will certainly be a significant blow for Boston as the 34-year-old has been a consistent high-end scoring threat, averaging over a point per game in six straight seasons, including notching 80 points in 70 contests this season.  Impressively, he picked up 11 points in seven playoff contests as well while trying to play through the injury.

Wilson Out Too: The Capitals will also be missing a key winger to start next season as winger Tom Wilson had surgery to repair a torn ACL.  The expected recovery timeline is six to eight months so the 28-year-old will miss the first month at an absolute minimum and could be out until close to midseason if it takes the full time to recover.  While Wilson is best known for his physicality and run-ins with the Department of Player Safety, he has also become a key offensive…