The Washington Capitals appear to be testing the trade waters on Detroit Red Wings star center Dylan Larkin.
In his latest trade market update, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reported that the Capitals have engaged with Detroit to some degree. However, it’s unclear how serious the conversations have been or how aggressively Washington has pursued a deal. He added that the Red Wings would likely seek top young center Ilya Protas in a potential return for their embattled star.
“My sense is the Caps have engaged to some level, but I can’t tell how hard they’ve pushed,” LeBrun wrote. “Ilya Protas would be an obvious target for Detroit in any package.”
Among the 10 teams on Larkin’s list, LeBrun listed the Capitals, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes, and Utah Mammoth as teams that have shown some concrete interest in Larkin, while leaving the Tampa Bay Lightning and New Jersey Devils as possibly involved. He seemingly ruled out any participation in the Larkin sweepstakes for the Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Dallas Stars.
Larkin recently declared that he will not play another game for Detroit until they satisfy his request to be moved. In response, the Red Wings suspended him without pay, and since then he has lost over $108k in salary, per Larkinlosses.com.
The price to acquire Larkin is rumored to be very high, with the Red Wings reportedly seeking three or four pieces in return, including, per TSN’s Darren Dreger, “two A-quality prospects, a top-nine forward who can play in the NHL right now, and a first-round draft pick.”
Protas, 20, would certainly fit part of that criteria, but it’s unclear whether the Capitals could stomach parting with such a promising player for a more win-now asset. Such a move would also likely be particularly difficult for Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas, Ilya’s older brother, who has enjoyed having his younger sibling in the same organization.
After losing his captaincy and suffering an upper-body injury over the summer, Larkin played 10 games for the Red Wings to start the 2026-27 season. He recorded six points (2g, 4a) in those games, including scoring a goal in what will likely be his final game for the club, a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Monday.
Larkin is under contract with an $8.7 million cap hit for the next five years. He will become an unrestricted free agent after the 2030-31 campaign.
