Report: Red Wings’ Larkin has still not expanded trade list beyond three teams
While one of the game’s top centers wants to leave his home, he isn’t helping his cause.
According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin hasn’t expanded his current trade list, leading some to question whether a deal might get done for the Waterford Township, Mich. native.
In two-plus months since requesting trade from Red Wings, Dylan Larkin has not expanded his list (he has no-trade clause) from Florida, Minnesota, Vegas. No offers from those teams have intrigued Wings. They want value-now players for a 1C with very favorable contract.
When it was first reported that Larkin had requested a trade, the three teams that came up as his go-to destinations were the Florida Panthers, defending Western Conference champion Vegas Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild. Larkin has a full no-trade clause on his current contract, which persists through the 2027-28 season. The big hurdle for teams is that he carries a cap hit of $8.7 million through the 2030-31 campaign, when he will be 33 years old.
Giving general manager Steve Yzerman just three teams to talk to is certainly not ideal. It certainly doesn’t help that the Panthers have taken on another big contract in acquiring Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators just days before the 2026 NHL Draft. While no team has been officially ruled out, it’ll be interesting to see whether Yzerman can swing a deal for any of Larkin’s hoped-for new spots.
St. James mentioned that the Red Wings are seeking players who can contribute now, rather than obtain prospects in return for Larkin, ideally a top-line center that can take on the role the team’s on-ice leader has carried since players like Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg moved on. On top of that, St. James noted that Detroit wants a player with a favorable contract, presumably cheaper than Larkin. Given that all three teams are pushing the salary cap limits, and the Panthers have already dealt Evan Rodrigues to the New Jersey Devils, it’s looking like slim pickings for Yzerman and company.
Granted, Yzerman is keeping an open mind with negotiations. When speaking to the media following the draft, he noted that there are “no guarantees” that a trade will be made, which could set the stage for a very awkward scene in Hockeytown if No. 71 is still wearing the winged wheel next fall.