4:40 p.m.: The Red Wings responded with their own statement from Horcoff:
“Dylan Larkin has informed us that he will no longer play for the Detroit Red Wings. We are disappointed with his decision, particularly given his obligations to the organization and his teammates. So we suspended Dylan without pay. We will continue to explore business opportunities involving Dylan. In addition to requiring his approval, any trade must also be in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings and support the organization’s long-term goals. I want to thank and congratulate our coaches and players for their continued focus and commitment to competing every day.“
3:15 p.m.: Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson (via TSN’s Pierre LeBrun), released a statement regarding Larkin’s decision to sit out until a trade: “Dylan has had enough of the situation. We think he was very professional and cooperative throughout this process.»
10:35 a.m.: Detroit Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan told the media today that former captain Dylan Larkin will not play for the team tonight against the Chicago Blackhawks. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, “general manager Shawn Horcoff will address the situation” at some point today. Friedman also noted that while things may change, “it seems like the current plan is for Larkin not to play until he is traded.”
Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic reported that “trade talks have intensified on Larkin,” and while that “doesn’t necessarily mean it will lead to an imminent trade,” it does mean that “things have intensified” on the trade front.
Friedman noted on this morning’s 32 Thoughts podcast that any type of injury to Larkin could cause significant damage to ongoing trade talks, so Detroit could have considerable motivation to keep Larkin out of the lineup if trade talks move forward.
Based on this morning’s reports, combined with the team’s decision to keep Larkin out of the lineup, it appears those trade talks have indeed moved forward.
Just under a week ago, the New Jersey Devils acquired star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets. The transaction ended an ongoing trade saga involving the Jets goaltender, one that began when Hellebuyck privately requested a trade over the summer, and then intensified when Hellebuyck’s camp made that request public.
Larkin is in a similar situation: a star player who was once the face of the only franchise he played for, now looking for a change of scenery via what would inevitably be a blockbuster trade.
Unlike Hellebuyck, Larkin did not fail to report to training camp and instead played the start of the season with Detroit. He was the team’s No. 1 center, as he has every year since his breakout 2017-18 campaign, and produced six points in 10 games. Despite his trade request and removal from the captaincy, Larkin still plays the most minutes per game among all Red Wings forwards and plays a central role on both sides of special teams.
Trading Larkin will undoubtedly leave a huge void on Detroit’s roster that will need to be filled. It’s rare for centers of Larkin’s caliber to be traded at any given time, let alone centers with significant remaining term on a market-priced (or perhaps even below-market) contract. Larkin’s deal carries a cap hit of $8.7 million for the 2030-31 campaign.
Due to the scarcity of established top-six centers on the trade market, it’s difficult to predict exactly what the Red Wings could receive in exchange for Larkin. But that does not mean that there are absolutely no comparable situations worth mentioning. Former #1 center for the Buffalo Sabers Jack Eichel requested a trade from the only team he’s ever known five years ago, and his deal represents what could be the ceiling of any Larkin trade deal.
Although Eichel’s ongoing injury issues clouded his status, he was still a significantly stronger offensive producer than Larkin, so Red Wings fans should view the Sabers return for Eichel as the culmination of what they could expect for Larkin. Buffalo received a young NHL power forward in Alex Tuch who had a 50+ point season on his resume, as well as a recent first round pick (Peyton Krebswho went 17th overall in 2019) and conditional first- and second-round picks.
While the Eichel trade represents the high point of what a Larkin deal could look like, a closer comparable might be the JT Miller to the New York Rangers in January 2025. Like Eichel, Miller’s offensive production reached heights that Larkin was never able to reach. The season before his transfer, Miller scored 37 goals and 103 points.
But in Miller’s case, a rift between Miller and the young star Elias Pettersson pushed the Canucks to make the deal. At the time, Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford even confirmed that the rift between Miller and Pettersson was quickly becoming an untenable situation. This eroded much of the leverage the Canucks had in trade negotiations involving Miller, alongside the full no-move clause in Miller’s contract.
While Larkin also has a no-move clause and his situation in Detroit is not without its embarrassments, it doesn’t appear that Detroit is facing as much immediate pressure to complete a trade as the Canucks were at the time.
That said, the Canucks still managed to extract a young NHL-ready center (Filip Chytil), a defensive prospect close to the NHL (Viktor Mancini), and a conditional first-round pick.
Mancini was a prospect without much pedigree, but his impressive preseason performances suggested late bloomer potential. Chytil had impressed at times in New York and even had a 45-point season under his belt, but ongoing concussion issues limited his value. Overall, the package the Canucks received for Miller should be considered the absolute floor for any Larkin deal.
Given the type of teams Larkin has indicated he would agree to a trade with, finding a trade that fits Detroit’s asking price might require some creativity. The Red Wings likely won’t want to take too much of a step back in terms of competitiveness, given that they have the league’s longest playoff drought as well as several star players of middle age. This means that the team with the greatest chance of success in pursuing Larkin is the one capable of offering the highest quality young player. who is capable of joining Detroit’s roster right now.
The Minnesota Wild, who have long had a massive need for a true No. 1 center, are reportedly willing to part with a talented young forward. Danila Yurov in order to acquire a player like Larkin. Wild general manager Bill Guerin has been aggressive in his pursuit of Larkin, and LeBrun said today on TSN that the Wild have “made the most trade offers” to Detroit for Larkin since June.
Other teams interested in Larkin will need to find players of a similar, if not greater, caliber to that offered by the Wild in order to stay in the race for the league’s top trade asset. With Larkin held out of the lineup until a trade is completed, it appears the league’s most important ongoing trade saga is about to end.
Photos courtesy of Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
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