Trading Dylan Larkin while improving is a near impossible situation for Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings and their fans were dealt a shocking blow on Thursday, when news broke via a report from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that star center and captain Dylan Larkin had requested a trade.
Larkin, who won the gold medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics with Team USA, instantly becomes the most talented player known to be available given the poor quality of this year’s class of unrestricted free agents.
This summer was always going to be a crucial one for general manager Steve Yzerman, who watched his team squander a playoff spot it held for most of the year, but now trying to improve the roster while also having to move out his only bonafide top-six center creates a whole new wrinkle.
On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, host Tyler Yaremchuk and co-host and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed why for a team with aspirations of making the playoffs, having to move Larkin out while improving anyway this summer is a nearly impossible task.
Tyler Yaremchuk: I think Detroit, they’re obviously going to be in a really, really tough spot here because with Yzerman at the helm, we kind of know the pressure is on him. The clock is ticking on the “Yzerplan.” The Ilitches don’t want to get rid of him because Stevie Y is a franchise icon, but I don’t think this is a trade here, Hutts, where Detroit with where they are as an organization, they can’t trade Dylan Larkin for a handful of future assets and, you know, lottery scratch tickets or whatever. They need to try to find a way to get better heading into next season, and that was already going to be a really, really tough task. We talked about on Wednesday with Max [Bultman], that gets even more difficult when you factor in you might need to trade away your first-line center, captain, perennial 30-goal guy. You need to trade that guy away and then still try to improve for next year? In a way, I feel for Yzerman. It’s a borderline impossible situation.
Carter Hutton: I pulled up the lines here on DailyFaceoff.com, and he’s already gonzo. He’s out of there. You look at it, and then you’re like okay, where does that void get filled, right? That is like the kind of thought that goes through my mind is when you’re trying to replace a player like that, who’s a complete player… That’s the other side of this too, which his numbers don’t show. He’s good on the defensive side of the puck, and we’ve seen this now how many years in a row. If you’re going to win, you’re going to need guys that defend well… If you’re a team that is on the cusp of being there, we talk about Minnesota, we talk about certain teams. Dylan Larkin might be the guy that pushes you over the top. What do you have to give up to get there? If it’s prospects and something in the future, who cares? Because your time is now.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode below…