4 Trade Packages for Dylan Larkin Amid NHL Rumors

Dylan Larkin wants a trade away from the Detroit Red Wings, and while he has not spoken publicly on the reported request, it's not hard to understand why he might be frustrated with his current situation.

He is in his 11th year in the NHL, all with the Red Wings, but has appeared in just five playoff games, all of which came during his rookie season 10 years ago.

He has been through an extensive rebuild that has not yet concluded; management has been slow to make bold moves to add to the roster, and they just completed another stunning second-half meltdown that kept them out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a 10th consecutive season. It is the longest active playoff drought in the NHL.

While Larkin may be from Michigan and the Red Wings' captain, that sort of losing will eventually get old for a player now into their 30s.

Larkin has complete no-trade protections in his contract, so even though he wants out of Detroit, he still has a lot of say over where he goes.

Red Wings writer Helene St. James reported this week that it's possible the three teams Larkin has presented to the Red Wings are the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Minnesota Wild. All have players Larkin was a teammate with at the Winter Olympics, and all three figure to be major Stanley Cup contenders next season.

They are great matches for Larkin, but they may not be the best for the Red Wings in completing a trade.

So let's take a look at what some hypothetical trade packages could look like from each team, as well as a bonus team or two that might eventually be in play.

Vegas Is Terrible Trade Match for Red Wings

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It is not hard to see why Vegas might be on Larkin's list.

He knows only losing in the NHL, and Vegas has only known winning from the moment it arrived. They are playing in their third Stanley Cup Final this season and are consistently one of the top contenders in the Western Conference.

They also love shiny new toys and big names, and they would probably be interested in Larkin, whether he was interested in them or not.

The problem for the Red Wings: Vegas might be the absolute worst potential trade partner in the league.

Vegas also might not have much of a need for Larkin given the center depth of Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl and William Karlsson.

Vegas' draft pick capital is also non-existent.

The Golden Knights also have one of the worst farm systems in hockey.

There aren't really any obvious young players on the NHL roster who would intrigue the Red Wings in terms of what they want.

Restricted free agent Pavel Dorofeyev would be an obvious target, but is Vegas going to trade its best homegrown player and best young player?

It might be the only option.

So, just given the lack of other sensible trade options here, I am going to say the only way Vegas gets Larkin is if it is willing to part with Dorofeyev.

Detroit gets: Pavel Dorofeyev

Vegas gets: Dylan Larkin

This also does not really seem likely. This is a major reason Vegas seems the least likely of the spots, assuming the Golden Knights are on Larkin's list of approved teams.

The only way Vegas might work is if the Golden Knights and Red Wings can get a third team involved to help send some young assets or draft picks to Detroit.

Would Red Wings Consider Trading Larkin to Divisional Contender?

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The Panthers might actually have some trade chips that would interest the Red Wings.

But is Detroit going to have any interest in helping a divisional rival that also figures to be a Stanley Cup contender next season?

Aleksander Barkov is set to return, Anton Lundell is becoming more and more of a two-way force every year, and the addition of Larkin down the middle would give the Panthers a nearly unmatched center trio.

Detroit would almost certainly want Lundell, but there's minimal chance Florida would actually part with him given his age, importance, two-way play, and the fact that his contract is a ridiculous value at only $5 million per season. There is no way Florida would see a 30-year-old Larkin as enough of an upgrade to make it part with Lundell.

But the No. 9 overall pick?

Forwards like Mackie Samoskevich or Eetu Luostarinen?

Maybe a veteran throw-in like Evan Rodrigues in the final year of his contract?

That might be the foundation of a suitable offer.

Florida gets: Dylan Larkin

Detroit gets: Mackie Samoskevich, Evan Rodrigues, No. 9 overall pick

The No. 9 pick is the obvious focal point, giving the Red Wings an opportunity to land a potential top prospect. Samoskevich is a solid young player who still has some untapped potential, while Rodrigues fills out some much-needed bottom-six depth and also clears out some salary cap space that would need to be moved out to fit in Larkin's contract.

It would be a luxury move for Florida, but one that could put it over the top.

Detroit could get good value here, but it would have to contend with making its division even better and watching its former captain compete against it regularly over the next few years. The PR battle would be a nightmare, even if the on-ice result were a success.

Minnesota Wild Make a Lot of Sense for Everybody

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Assuming Minnesota is on Larkin's list, the Wild might be the team Steve Yzerman should be focusing on.

For one, Minnesota will have the motivation to get a center like Larkin.

The Wild's center depth is a glaring weakness and the one big thing that is holding them back from taking the next step from a really good playoff team to a serious Stanley Cup contender. Joel Eriksson Ek is an outstanding two-way player, but he's probably not a No. 1 center on a championship team, and there is very little proven talent behind him at the position.

Unlike Vegas, Minnesota might actually have some pieces that are worthy of a trade for a player like Larkin.

Unlike Florida, it would not require Detroit to trade him within the conference, let alone within the division.

The most obvious trade chip that Minnesota could dangle is goalie Jesper Wallstedt.

Even though Detroit has some goalie prospects in its system, you can never be totally sure about young goalies and entirely count on them. Having a reasonably proven -- and talented -- NHL goalie would be a huge upgrade for the Red Wings, especially when it's a player like Wallstedt who has the potential to be a legitimate No. 1 goalie.

Minnesota gets: Dylan Larkin

Detroit gets: Jesper Wallstedt, Danila Yurov

John Gibson still has one more year remaining on his contract and is coming off a nice bounce-back year with the Red Wings. If you can't find a taker for him to coincide with this move, you could at least form a potentially strong goalie duo for the 2026-27 season and give one of the young prospects (Sebastian Cossa or Trey Augustine) another year before joining Wallstedt in the NHL.

Or one of them could be used as additional trade bait elsewhere.

Wallstedt saved 6.2 goals above expected in 2025-26, and when paired with Gibson's 11.7 mark, that would give the Red Wings a stellar goalie duo and potentially help mask some of the defensive flaws on the roster.

Yurov is one of the best young players still in the Minnesota organization following the Quinn Hughes trade and is coming off a solid rookie season that saw him score 12 goals, 15 assists, and 27 total points in 73 games.

Los Angeles Kings Need Another Center (and Scorer)

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It remains to be seen if Larkin would include the Kings on a potential trade list, but from a hockey perspective, it makes a lot of sense.

With Anze Kopitar retiring, the Kings are going to have a need for another big-time center, and Larkin could help fit that requirement and give Los Angeles a formidable 1-2 punch down the middle with him and Quinton Byfield.

Kings general manager Ken Holland is also the one who originally drafted Larkin in Detroit, so there is at least some history and connection.

Los Angeles is also an established playoff team that still needs more scoring punch to break through the first round and make deep playoff runs.

The Kings also have the type of player the Red Wings might really want in Brandt Clarke -- a young, top-four defenseman who is starting to emerge as an impact player and still has some ability to keep getting better.

Los Angeles receives: Dylan Larkin

Detroit receives: Brandt Clark, 2026 first-round pick

Detroit has one of the league's best defensemen in Moritz Seider, a really good young player in Simon Edvinsson, and a capable veteran in Justin Faulk. But they badly need another top-four defender, and Clarke can bring some serious offensive upside while also being in an age range that fits in with the likes of Seider and Edvinsson.