We might have our first major blockbuster of the NHL offseason brewing.
Word surfaced on Thursday from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Detroit Red Wings center (and captain) Dylan Larkin has requested a trade away from the team, opening the door for the longest-tenured player in the organization to move on.
Larkin has been with the Red Wings for all 11 years of his NHL career and has yet to find any major team success.
He has made the playoffs just once, and that was during his rookie season. He has been there through the entirety of the team’s current 10-year playoff drought and has seemingly become increasingly frustrated with the losing.
He was critical of the team’s inaction at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, and after yet another late-season meltdown in 2025-26, he is now looking to get a fresh start elsewhere.
Assuming the Red Wings follow through with his request, he will be a wildly sought-after player. Even though he will be 30 next season, he has scored at least 30 goals in each of the past five seasons and is a legitimate top-line center who can also impact the game defensively. He is still signed long-term through the 2031 season at what should be a very team-friendly salary cap number of $8.7 million per season. Given the lack of center depth on the free agent market, as well as the number of teams in need of a first-or second-line center, there should be a robust market for him.
He has no-trade protections that can dictate where he goes, but if he is requesting a trade, he is probably open to a wide range of destinations.
So let’s take a look at some teams that could be potential landing spots for him.