The Detroit Red Wings have missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons, and it appears their captain, Dylan Larkin, has had enough.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the 29-year-old forward recently requested a trade from the Red Wings. The 2026-27 season will be the fourth year on an eight-year, $69.6 million contract ($8.7 million AAV) that Larkin signed with Detroit during the 2022-23 campaign.
Friedman reports that no one involved in the matter, including Larkin, Larkin’s agent Pat Brisson, and Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman, would provide a comment. Larkin holds the power in any trade talks, as he has a full no-trade clause through the 2027-28 season, after which becomes a 10-team trade list for the final three years of his deal.
Larkin recorded 67 points (34g, 33a) in 74 games this past season, marking his fifth straight year scoring at least 30 goals. He also won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, providing the Americans three points (2g, 1a) in six games.
The former 15th overall selection in the 2014 NHL Draft has only played in five career playoff games, all of which came at the end of his rookie 2015-16 season. Larkin was named captain of the Red Wings on January 13, 2021, and is a Michigan native who attended the University of Michigan.
Friedman added that Larkin’s relationship with Yzerman is “somewhat frosty” and referenced how Larkin’s Team USA teammates Matthew Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes recently forced their way out of situations with the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, respectively. However, he also said he believes Yzerman “will not be bullied into any scenario he dislikes, no matter how much pressure is applied.”
The lineup of teams interested in Larkin, who turns 30 in July, should be long. One of those teams that could make the trouble worth Yzerman’s while is the Washington Capitals, as general manager Chris Patrick still seeks a signature, high-impact addition to his forward group. The Caps have stockpiled a long list of prospects and draft selections, including two first-round picks later this month, that could be packaged together to add a player like Larkin.
The only problems with that scenario would be, first, whether Larkin would waive his no-trade clause to come to the Capitals, and second, the fact that Washington has Pierre-Luc Dubois and Dylan Strome already likely committed to playing top-six minutes down the middle. Larkin’s $8.7 million cap hit would be no issue for the Caps; per PuckPedia, they are set to have $31.4 million in cap space this summer.
