Dylan Larkin is not making his likely exit from the Detroit Red Wings easy for general manager Steve Yzerman.
After reports surfaced last week that Larkin had requested a trade from the Red Wings after a 10th straight season missing the playoffs, new details about his preferred destination emerged Monday morning.
According to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Larkin has indicated that he would waive his no-trade clause for only three teams: the Vegas Golden Knights, the Minnesota Wild, and the Florida Panthers.
Larkin still has five years remaining on the eight-year, $69.6 million contract ($8.7 million AAV) that he signed with Detroit during the 2022-23 campaign. He holds a full no-trade clause in that contract through the 2027-28 season, after which it becomes a 10-team trade list for the final three years of his deal.
The very small number of teams to which Larkin will accept a move presents a major problem for Yzerman and the Red Wings. Firstly, the teams on the list include one of the two current contenders for the 2026 Stanley Cup, the Golden Knights; a contending Wild team that just dealt plenty of assets to the Vancouver Canucks for Quinn Hughes; and a divisional foe, the Florida Panthers, that just won back-to-back championships. Not exactly the recipe for a big-time trade package.
Secondly, the limited scope of teams means that Yzerman cannot start a bidding war among the likely far larger number of clubs possibly interested in acquiring Larkin. Given those constraints, if Larkin truly wants out of Detroit, he may have to widen his list if Yzerman plays hardball to do what is best for the Red Wings.
All three teams on Larkin’s list have key players on their rosters who were teammates with him on Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics, which could be affecting the situation. The Golden Knights have Jack Eichel and Noah Hanifin, the Wild have Hughes, Matt Boldy, and Brock Faber, and the Panthers have Matthew Tkachuk. Two of those teams, the Golden Knights and Panthers, also play in states with no income tax.
Larkin recorded 67 points (34g, 33a) in 74 games this past season, marking his fifth straight year scoring at least 30 goals. The Red Wings captain has only played in five career playoff games, all of which came at the end of his rookie 2015-16 season.
