​The Detroit Red Wings and Dylan Larkin have been stuck in a holding pattern since the franchise captain requested a trade. As the league has seen movement around the league, Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman has remained firm: only an offer strong enough to move the needle would persuade him to part with the face of the franchise. Interestingly, Larkin may be attempting to ease Yzerman’s burden, according to a recent update.
Trade lists are all the rage in today’s NHL. Before Brady Tkachuk was dealt to the Florida Panthers, he reportedly provided a four-team list that included the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, Florida, and the Carolina Hurricanes. Larkin has similarly shared a three-team list with Detroit, featuring Minnesota, Vegas, and Florida. Florida looks unlikely to be in the running for Larkin, given the current landscape of available players and assets. Vegas could potentially maneuver something, but the assets likely wouldn’t move the needle for Yzerman. That leaves Minnesota, long speculated as the ideal destination for the Team USA star.
Detroit beat reporter Ansar Khan is now reporting that Larkin has broadened his three-team list to include the Dallas Stars. Dallas had previously explored a trade for Larkin’s Team USA teammate, Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets, an attempt that fell short. That proposed package centered on 24-year-old defenseman Thomas Harley as the principal piece. Yet it’s hard to envision Dallas putting the same deal on the table for Larkin. The 29-year-old center is under contract for five more years on an eight-year, $69.6 million deal, with an $8.7 million annual cap hit—an entirely manageable sum for a top-tier forward.
Larkin completed his 11th season with Detroit, but after a decade of playoff droughts, he clearly craves playoff hockey, which helps explain his push to broaden the trade pool to include Dallas. However, a cloud hangs over Dallas with Jason Robertson’s future unresolved. The Penguins have also been eyeing Robertson as a potential target to pair with Sidney Crosby, which complicates Dallas’s plans. If Robertson’s situation spirals, it could be hard to see Larkin agreeing to a move to Dallas, even when taking state tax considerations into account.
There could be a swap in the works, but Detroit would need assurances that Robertson would be willing to sign an extension with the Stars. That very issue helps explain why a reported trade to Seattle collapsed, despite the Kraken offering an eight-year deal at an average annual value of $15 million. As things stand, Dallas and Robertson appear to be trending toward arbitration, which would lock in a one-year deal for now. Until a broader, longer-term agreement can be reached, the path forward for Larkin—or for a potential deal involving Dallas—remains uncertain and highly contingent on Robertson’s future with Dallas and the willingness of both teams to negotiate a package that satisfies Detroit’s mandate for a move that truly moves the needle.