The off-season has yet to begin, but Red Wings fans are already bracing for what may be the most tumultuous one in general manager Steve Yzerman’s tenure now that longtime captain and face of the franchise Dylan Larkin has requested out of Detroit.
Larkin’s trade request broke earlier this week, to the shock of many around the league. While any actual movement is likely to be an actual while aways still, there’s been a scramble for information by reporters to find where he might fly off to.
Longtime Free Press Red Wings beat writer Helene St. James has Larkin’s list down to three teams as of Monday, June 8, however.
James’ list of teams for Larkin includes the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers. The Wild and Panthers have the most obvious connections to Larkin, with Team USA teammates and off-ice friends on both rosters between Matthew Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes.
Vegas meanwhile, is a perennial cup contender and has shown a willingness to make a move whenever, for whoever. The Knights even fired their head coach at the end of this past regular season just so John Tortorella could come back out of the announcers booth to coach the team to the Stanley Cup Final. If Jim Nill and the Knights think they can make a move, they will.
Assembling a package that Yzerman would accept in a trade for Larkin on the other hand, is something that all three of these teams may struggle to do. Detroit will want a proven center back in the trade, and either a haul of draft capital to find their 1C of the future or a stock of NHL-ready prospects who can fill the gap and become trade assets in the next couple of offseasons.
The Athletic released their list of potential trade spots and the return Larkin may bring. Minnesota and Florida are in their list, however Vegas was not included in their reporting. In addition to those three, Max Bultman and Cory Pronman have the Utah Mammoth, Dallas Stars, and Carolina Hurricanes as potential new nests for Larkin, though actual trade returns and viability are still a question.
For all the noise around a Larkin trade, there isn’t much to actually see for the moment. Larkin’s no movement clause means he can’t be shipped off by Yzerman like he did with Jake Walman. By that same token, however, Larkin’s list limits his actual availability significantly. Yzerman doesn’t have to negotiate with a team he doesn’t believe can give him a reasonable return, and if Larkin’s doesn’t want to play in a Red Wings uniform, he’s going to have to wait until someone puts together a package that makes sense.