Steve Yzerman is the only one to blame for Larkin wanting out
Hours before the second game of the Stanley Cup Final, a bombshell was dropped in the world of hockey. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has asked for a trade out of Motor City. Larkin, drafted in 2014, has not played a playoff game since 2016, as the Red Wings have missed the postseason for 10 straight seasons – seven under GM Steve Yzerman.
Losing is hard for any athlete, but as one GM echoed to Daily Faceoff, ‘’no playoffs in a decade is tough for anyone.’’ Larkin, who has been the team captain since 2021, has been in Detroit through the entire transition period. From the final years of the 25-year playoff streak under Ken Holland, to the rebuild overseen by Yzerman, Larkin has been a good soldier through it all, biding his time and remaining a productive player – five straight seasons with 65 or more points – through Detroit’s transition.
But everyone has a breaking point, and this year’s annual spring-time collapse for the Red Wings is what (seemingly) was the straw that broke the camel’s back. But why now?
As Friedman noted on his 32 Thoughts podcast Friday morning, Larkin’s play (and subsequent success) at both the 4 Nations Faceoff and 2026 Olympics probably had a part to play in this. Set to turn 30 years old in a month’s time, Larkin was able to not only play meaningful hockey for the first time in a decade during this past and last year’s winter tournaments, but also won gold for Team USA this past February. Losing is something that can seep into a locker room – but winning is arguably even more infectious.
The Red Wings were oh so close to the playoffs this season, so maybe next year is their year. But is there a guarantee that it will happen? With the NHL more parity-driven than ever, there are few teams that are a slam dunk to make the playoffs year over year; just ask the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers.
The fact is, Detroit is simply not good enough – even with the deadline acquisition of defenseman Justin Faulk this season from the St Louis Blues. Faulk is not a bad player, but he wasn’t exactly what the Red Wings needed. Detroit’s pro-scouting has been questionable, going back to the summer of 2022 when Yzerman went on a one-day shopping spree. Signing forwards Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher, along with defenseman Ben Chiarot and Justin Holl, the Red Wings blew a ton of cash on average to below-average players.
Look at some additions since then. Did anyone think that Vladimir Tarasenko would work out on a team that already had Patrick Kane (who, to his credit, has been a good addition in Detroit)? The New York Rangers could’ve told you that for free; redundancy at its finest.
The prospects are fine (especially in net), but there are none who expect to be franchise changers; DFO prospect analyst Steven Ellis has been on top of that for some time. The free-agent signings since 2022 have not moved the needle nearly enough, and the prospects trickling onto the roster over the same period have not had the impact many had hoped for.
“Guys like Carter Bear and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard will be excellent,” Ellis said. “But they’re not Dylan Larkin. They’re missing that real franchise-changer.”
What makes this even more perplexing is the timing, as Larkin is just in year four of an eight-year contract extension he signed three years ago. Hindsight is 20/20, but if Yzerman was going to be so reluctant to make meaningful acquisitions between 2023 and now, why even extend Larkin? Why not have just moved him for a boatload of assets at the 2023 trade deadline? Now, not only is Larkin locked up until 2031 (albeit at a good AAV of $8.7 million), but he also has a full no-trade clause until the end of next season, meaning that he will have full control over his next destination.
Simply put, Larkin pulling the chute lies directly at the feet of Yzerman’s botched rebuild.
According to Fridman, the relationship between Larkin and Yzerman is ‘’frosty.’’ This should not come as a surprise, as the two sparred with words through the media following the 2025 trade deadline when the Red Wings made no additions.
After speaking with several league executives, I learned that many across the league were shocked when the news broke on Thursday. Speaking with DFO, all were hesitant to give a reason as to why it all came to a head like this, but none outright denied that it could’ve been a result of Yzerman’s direction(less path) for the Red Wings.
‘’I was shocked to hear that today. I wonder where he wants to go? I assume he’s got a spot (in mind),’’ one high-ranking executive told DFO. And that is the million-dollar question.
As Friedman alluded to, the low-hanging fruit is the Minnesota Wild, who are about as all-in as any team right about now. It should not come as a surprise, given Larkin’s connection to Wild GM Bill Guerin and Team USA, but DFO was told on Thursday that the Wild does like Larkin. It isn’t quite clear what Yzerman will be looking for in return – will he want a ‘’hockey’’ trade or look for futures – but you would have to imagine the Wild’s package would start with center Danila Yurov and Charlie Stramel.
The San Jose Sharks are a fascinating landing spot, as Larkin heading to California to play second-line center behind sophomore sensation Macklin Celebrini would be a sight to see. But as Friedman alluded to, would Larkin want to make this big of a change for a team still on the outside looking in as far as contending goes? While the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks would make sense for similar reasons to the Sharks, they also don’t seem like a fit for the aforementioned potential concerns.
We know the Philadelphia Flyers are desperate for a center, and GM Danny Briere is on the lookout. They have a crop full of highly talented young wingers like Tyson Foerster, Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov and Owen Tippett for Larkin to play with, but again, are they far enough down the road towards being a contender for Larkin to choose as a destination?
The Montreal Canadiens would be a dream landing spot for Larkin, roster-construction-wise, to play second-line center behind Nick Suzuki; they are also knocking on the door of being a true cup contender. But with the current political landscape in North America, would an American want to play north of the border?
In a league desperate for centers, Larkin’s addition to the trade market is certainly spicing things up this summer. As one league source told DFO, ‘’Brady (Tkachuk), maybe Auston (Matthews) and now Larkin – things are getting interesting on the trade front.’’ It will make for great theatre and will surely be a blockbuster move, but if you want to find a reason as to why and how we got here, look no further than the ‘’Yzerplan.’’