Washington Capitals appear to be testing trade waters on Detroit Red Wings star center Dylan Larkin.
In his latest update on the trade market, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that the Capitals have committed to some capacity with Detroit. However, it is unclear how serious the discussions were or how aggressively Washington pursued a deal. He added that the Red Wings would likely look for the best young center. Ilya Protas in a potential comeback for their struggling star.
“I feel like the Caps committed to a point, but I can’t say how much they pushed,” LeBrun wrote. “Ilya Protas would be an obvious target for Detroit in any package.”
Of the 10 teams on Larkin’s list, LeBrun cited the Capitals, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes and Utah Mammoth as teams that have expressed concrete interest in Larkin, while leaving out the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils as possibly involved. He has apparently ruled out entering the Larkin sweepstakes for the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars.
Larkin recently said he would not play another game for Detroit until they accommodate his travel request. In response, the Red Wings suspended him without pay and since then he has lost more than $108,000 in salary, according to Larkinlosses.com.
The price to acquire Larkin is rumored to be very high, with the Red Wings reportedly seeking three or four pieces in return, including, according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, “two Grade-A prospects, a top-nine forward who can play in the NHL right now and a first-round pick.”
Protas, 20, would certainly meet some of that criteria, but it’s unclear whether the Capitals could bear to part with such a promising player for a more win-now asset. Such a decision would also be particularly difficult for Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas, Ilya’s older brother, who appreciates having his younger brother in the same organization.
After losing his captaincy and suffering an upper-body injury over the summer, Larkin played in 10 games with the Red Wings to begin the 2026-27 season. He had six points (2g, 4a) in those games, including a goal in what will likely be his final game for the club, a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Larkin is under contract with a cap hit of $8.7 million for the next five years. He will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2030-31 campaign.
Gn sports
