Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has reportedly requested a trade from the only team he's ever known, providing perhaps the biggest indictment of how miserably the "Yzerplan" has failed.
Larkin has been in the NHL for 11 seasons, yet the Red Wings haven't made the playoffs since his rookie year at age 19. General manager Steve Yzerman, at the helm since 2019, has struggled to build Detroit into a contender, falling well short of the success he achieved with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Yzerman's drafting track record with Detroit is spotty to say the least. He also hasn't made enough impactful additions through trades or free agency, often settling for past-their-prime stars like Patrick Kane or overpaying for middling talents like Andrew Copp and J.T. Compher. The team is now stuck in standings purgatory: not good enough to make the playoffs but no longer bad enough to bottom out for lottery picks.
All things considered, it's understandable why Larkin would want out despite being a Michigan native. He's 29 years old and has played only five career playoff games. He wants to compete for a Cup, and that's unlikely to happen in Detroit anytime soon.
Whether a trade materializes remains to be seen. Larkin is under contract for five more years at an $8.7-million cap hit, so he can't threaten to walk as a free agent if he isn't dealt. However, Larkin's contract also includes a full no-trade clause, which means the Red Wings can't create a bidding war among the 31 other teams.
While Detroit could easily play hardball and keep a disgruntled Larkin on the roster, they'd be wise to see what's out there, considering how much of a distraction the situation could become. With a weak 2026 unrestricted free-agent class projected to be particularly thin at center, teams will be lining up for a player who just recorded his fifth straight 30-goal season and is a legitimate No. 1 center.
The ideal landing spot for Larkin is a franchise with an open Stanley Cup window, but it also has to possess the assets to make the Red Wings a worthy offer.
Before we dive further in, you can check out the mock Larkin trades we built on Top Shelf.
You can also find an explanation of my mock trade from Top Shelf, plus two others, below.
Anaheim Ducks
This is the same trade I proposed on Top Shelf, and it's easy to see why it makes so much sense. Yzerman and Ducks GM Pat Verbeek go way back. They were teammates for two seasons on the Red Wings, and Verbeek worked alongside Yzerman in Detroit's and Tampa Bay's front offices for 16 campaigns before Anaheim hired him in 2022.
The Ducks are in go-for-it mode after producing a 92-point season and upsetting the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1 of the playoffs. Boasting a budding young core led by Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier, Beckett Sennecke, and Jackson LaCombe, plus the sunny California weather, it's hard to imagine Larkin vetoing a trade to Anaheim.
The Ducks also have enough pieces to entice the Red Wings. McTavish is coming off a rough year, but the former third overall pick is still 23 years old and locked up for five more seasons with a $7-million cap hit. That's more than he's worth at the moment, but it could age well if McTavish takes a step forward.
Mintyukov hasn't lived up to his billing as a former top-10 pick either. However, at just 22 years old, there's still plenty of runway for him. He's a pending restricted free agent.
Minnesota Wild
I'm taking a slightly different approach than the mock trade my colleague Kyle Cushman built on Top Shelf, but it's hard to deny that the Wild are an ideal fit. They're potentially a No. 1 center away from a Stanley Cup. With several familiar faces from the gold-medal-winning U.S. Olympic team - Matt Boldy, Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber, and GM Bill Guerin - it's likely a spot Larkin would be willing to go.
This proposal is more prospect-focused. Though Detroit may want players who are ready to contribute immediately, this is still a pretty good haul. Yurov is coming off a promising rookie season. Stramel, a 2023 first-rounder, should be ready to turn pro soon after a stellar 2024-25 campaign at Michigan State, where he racked up 44 points in 37 games. Spacek is more of a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect, but the 23-year-old could be ready to step in and play NHL games next season.
Washington Capitals
Would Larkin view the Capitals as enough of a contender to accept a trade there, especially with Ovechkin's future up in the air? That's the biggest question surrounding this proposal. Still, at the very least, they're a better-run organization than Detroit. Washington missed the playoffs with 95 points last season but finished first in the Eastern Conference with 111 points the year prior.
Assuming the Red Wings prefer players who can help them immediately rather than futures, the Capitals could put together a pretty solid offer, particularly one that includes a center. Strome would undoubtedly be a downgrade from Larkin, but he's a solid player who's a year removed from a career-high 82-point campaign. He's 29 years old and signed for two more seasons at a team-friendly $5-million cap hit.
With Jakob Chychrun, Martin Fehervary, and Cole Hutson likely making up the left side of Washington's blue line for years to come, Sandin is expendable. He's a serviceable No. 4 or No. 5 defenseman who would bring some much-needed puck-moving ability to Detroit's blue line. He's 26 years old and signed for three more years with a $4.6-million cap hit.
The Capitals would also have the luxury of including the No. 18 pick in the 2026 draft that they acquired from the Ducks in the John Carlson trade. Washington also owns the No. 16 pick in the draft.
