Dylan Larkin has apparently had enough. The Detroit Red Wings captain, who has spent 11 years in Hockeytown, told the organization weeks ago that he wants out. That is not the kind of thing that usually leaks unless someone wants it to. And now that it is out there, the question is not whether Larkin will be traded. It is which team will actually get him.
Larkin has only been to the playoffs once, his rookie year. Since then, the Red Wings have been irrelevant by April. He knows what winning feels like, because he just lived it. He won gold with Team USA at the Olympics last winter. He was a monster in that tournament. And he has been a monster for Detroit too, even if the team around him could not keep up.
Larkin has scored at least 30 goals in five straight seasons. Last year he hit a career-high 34 goals and added 33 assists. He is a three-time All-Star. His best season came in 2022-23, when he put up 32 goals and 47 assists. He is a top-line center who wins faceoffs, runs a power play and makes everyone around him better. When a player like that wants out, teams line up.
There is one catch. Larkin has five years left on his contract at $8.7 million per season. He also has a no-trade clause with 10 teams he can block. His agent, Pat Brisson, has kept that list quiet. “I want to keep as much of these conversations confidential as possible,” Brisson told The Athletic. That creates some mystery. But it also creates opportunity. If Steve Yzerman finds a deal that works for Detroit, and it just happens to be with a team on that list, he can still make a strong pitch to Larkin to green-light it.
Here are two teams that should absolutely pick up the phone.
Minnesota needs a No. 1 center and Larkin is exactly that
The Wild had a solid season. They finished third in the Central Division behind Colorado and Dallas, then beat Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. That was impressive. But the Central is not getting easier. Colorado had the best record in the regular season. Minnesota needs to keep pushing.
The Wild already have Kirill Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek, Matt Boldy and Quinn Hughes. That is a strong core. Boldy and Larkin played together during the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and again in the Olympics. They already have chemistry. Hughes is one of the most creative defensemen in the league and also clicked with Larkin internationally. Adding Larkin as a true No. 1 center could push Minnesota past Colorado and into Stanley Cup favorite territory.
That kind of upgrade does not come around often. The Wild should be willing to make some noise.
Montreal is rising fast and Larkin would put them over the top
The Canadiens finished third in the Atlantic, tied with Tampa Bay in points but losing the tiebreaker. Then they beat Tampa in seven games in the first round. Then they beat Buffalo in seven games in the second round. They got stopped by Carolina in the Eastern Conference Final, but that run showed they are not a fluke.
Montreal already has one of the best lines in hockey with Nick Suzuki between Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky. Ivan Demidov and Alex Newhook add scoring depth. But adding Larkin would give the Canadiens two dominant centers, and that is how you win in the playoffs. It would change the balance of power in the East and make Montreal a serious threat to get back to the Final, especially after Carolina won the Stanley Cup last season.
If Yzerman decides to move Larkin, these two teams have the pieces and the need to get it done. The no-trade clause is a hurdle. But when a player of Larkin’s caliber becomes available, good teams find a way.
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