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Detroit Red Wings captain and star center Dylan Larkin has requested a trade, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.
While no one saw it coming in particular on Thursday afternoon, when you look at the extent of Larkin's Red Wings career and the perpetual disappointment he's experienced over 11 years, it's really not too surprising that Larkin has asked for a change of scenery.
As Friedman said, we don't know the specific reason Larkin wants out. He didn't comment, and his agent and Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman didn't comment, either.
In theory, however, you can only ask an elite player to be patient for so long before they doubt things will change for the better.
The most damning issue regarding Yzerman and Red Wings management is that Larkin has only five games of Stanley Cup playoff experience. That came in his first NHL season of 2015-16. For a full decade afterward, it's been nothing but playoff misses and, more recently, late-season collapses.
The Red Wings have preached patience time and time again as they finished a rebuild during part of that 10-year playoff drought. In the end, no important progress has been made in the standings.
Detroit's spectacular freefall through the NHL standings in the last couple months of the season must've stung Larkin as badly as any Red Wings player. He had a career-high 34 goals. Although he was injured around the time the Red Wings' collapse started, he's played at least 71 games in nine of 10 NHL seasons, excluding the shortened 2020-21 campaign.
It is unacceptable that the Red Wings were in a playoff spot for most of the season, even battling for the top spot in the Atlantic Division right before the Olympics, and still somehow missed the playoffs. In 2024-25, they were in a playoff spot by the 4 Nations Face-Off break and fell out. Even in 2023-24, the Wings were in a playoff spot by the trade deadline and ultimately missed out by a tiebreaker.
After the 2024-25 season, Larkin even told reporters it was hard that the team wasn't an active buyer at the trade deadline.
While the Red Wings were buyers this season, they just weren't aggressive enough.
Despite having cap space, first-rounders and promising prospects, the Red Wings acquired defenseman Justin Faulk and left winger David Perron at the trade deadline. That didn't do anything to improve the center depth below Larkin, and clearly, the moves did not improve their situation.
Larkin has a full no-trade clause for the next two seasons, but he's obviously prepared to waive that clause now.
At 29 years old, Larkin is in his prime. He's given Yzerman & Co. a slew of chances to at least turn Detroit into a year-in, year-out playoff team, and every year that passed where that modest goal wasn't reached was a straw on Larkin's back. And this season's letdown and lack of changes in the front office may have been the final straw.
While Yzerman won't give Larkin away in any trade, Larkin has the leverage to force a trade to his preferred destination. The last thing the Wings will want is a protracted and ugly battle with the player who has pridefully worn their 'C' since 2021. And it now feels like they're past the point of no return with Larkin, who has another five seasons under contract at $8.7 million per year.
With a dearth of true No. 1 centers in the league, the Red Wings should find a new home for Larkin that sends a solid package of prospects and/or draft picks back to Detroit. If the Red Wings don't want to retool, maybe there's a hockey trade that gets them back a different No. 1 center.
In any case, Larkin's trade request will make Red Wings fans angry. But while they're right to be upset, Wings fans should focus their anger on the right person – and it's on Yzerman, not on Larkin.
Yzerman has developed a core, but he hasn't rounded out the roster well enough to get his team into the playoffs, and patience has waned.
Larkin gave it his best shot in Detroit, but in the end, the Wings couldn't get the job done. And given the Red Wings' failures in the past decade, Larkin's trade request is absolutely understandable.
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While no one saw it coming in particular on Thursday afternoon, when you look at the extent of Larkin's Red Wings career and the perpetual disappointment he's experienced over 11 years, it's really not too surprising that Larkin has asked for a change of scenery.
As Friedman said, we don't know the specific reason Larkin wants out. He didn't comment, and his agent and Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman didn't comment, either.
In theory, however, you can only ask an elite player to be patient for so long before they doubt things will change for the better.
The most damning issue regarding Yzerman and Red Wings management is that Larkin has only five games of Stanley Cup playoff experience. That came in his first NHL season of 2015-16. For a full decade afterward, it's been nothing but playoff misses and, more recently, late-season collapses.
The Red Wings have preached patience time and time again as they finished a rebuild during part of that 10-year playoff drought. In the end, no important progress has been made in the standings.
Detroit's spectacular freefall through the NHL standings in the last couple months of the season must've stung Larkin as badly as any Red Wings player. He had a career-high 34 goals. Although he was injured around the time the Red Wings' collapse started, he's played at least 71 games in nine of 10 NHL seasons, excluding the shortened 2020-21 campaign.
It is unacceptable that the Red Wings were in a playoff spot for most of the season, even battling for the top spot in the Atlantic Division right before the Olympics, and still somehow missed the playoffs. In 2024-25, they were in a playoff spot by the 4 Nations Face-Off break and fell out. Even in 2023-24, the Wings were in a playoff spot by the trade deadline and ultimately missed out by a tiebreaker.
After the 2024-25 season, Larkin even told reporters it was hard that the team wasn't an active buyer at the trade deadline.
While the Red Wings were buyers this season, they just weren't aggressive enough.
Despite having cap space, first-rounders and promising prospects, the Red Wings acquired defenseman Justin Faulk and left winger David Perron at the trade deadline. That didn't do anything to improve the center depth below Larkin, and clearly, the moves did not improve their situation.
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Top NHL Insider Reports Dylan Larkin Has Requested Trade From Red WingsAccording to an explosive report from NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman, Dylan Larkin has requested to be moved from the Red Wings. Larkin has a full no-trade clause for the next two seasons, but he's obviously prepared to waive that clause now.
At 29 years old, Larkin is in his prime. He's given Yzerman & Co. a slew of chances to at least turn Detroit into a year-in, year-out playoff team, and every year that passed where that modest goal wasn't reached was a straw on Larkin's back. And this season's letdown and lack of changes in the front office may have been the final straw.
While Yzerman won't give Larkin away in any trade, Larkin has the leverage to force a trade to his preferred destination. The last thing the Wings will want is a protracted and ugly battle with the player who has pridefully worn their 'C' since 2021. And it now feels like they're past the point of no return with Larkin, who has another five seasons under contract at $8.7 million per year.
With a dearth of true No. 1 centers in the league, the Red Wings should find a new home for Larkin that sends a solid package of prospects and/or draft picks back to Detroit. If the Red Wings don't want to retool, maybe there's a hockey trade that gets them back a different No. 1 center.
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Three Potential Trade Fits For Detroit Red Wings' Dylan LarkinDetroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has requested a trade from the Detroit Red Wings, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. Let's look at three teams that could target him. In any case, Larkin's trade request will make Red Wings fans angry. But while they're right to be upset, Wings fans should focus their anger on the right person – and it's on Yzerman, not on Larkin.
Yzerman has developed a core, but he hasn't rounded out the roster well enough to get his team into the playoffs, and patience has waned.
Larkin gave it his best shot in Detroit, but in the end, the Wings couldn't get the job done. And given the Red Wings' failures in the past decade, Larkin's trade request is absolutely understandable.
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For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Continue reading...
