Dylan Larkin Trade Shocker Puts Major Teams in Play

On June 5, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade away from the only NHL team that he's ever known.

After 11 seasons in Detroit -- the last 10 of which the team failed to make the playoffs -- Larkin is done with the Red Wings' organization. He's tired of losing, and his relationship with Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has grown so sour that he wants out.

Now, the question is, where will he go next?

Potential Destinations for Dylan Larkin

On June 8, Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press reported that Larkin -- who has a full no-trade clause -- has given the Red Wings a list of three teams to which he would accept a trade.

Those three teams are the Vegas Golden Knights, the Florida Panthers, and the Minnesota Wild. It's possible that Larkin could expand his list to include other teams in the future. But, for now at least, these are the only three teams he would waive his NTC for.

Let's start with Vegas.

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The Golden Knights are currently battling it out with the Carolina Hurricanes for the 2025-26 Stanley Cup, which they won three years ago. Despite only being in the league for nine years, the Golden Knights have been one of the most successful expansion teams in professional sports history, as they have made it to the finals three times in nine years, and are two wins away from capturing their second Stanley Cup.

For Larkin, who has only played in five career playoff games for Detroit, it makes sense that he would want to go to Vegas, a team that is the definition of a winner.

Speaking of winners, then there's the Panthers, who won the Stanley Cup the last two seasons. Although Florida missed the playoffs this season as they dealt with a ton of injuries to key players, they are a franchise that has been to the Stanley Cup Finals the last three years in a row, winning two of them.

The Panthers will likely bounce back next season, and Larkin would love to be on their team as they make another deep postseason run with a team full of winning players.

Finally, there's the Wild. Although Minnesota hasn't won a Stanley Cup, they are a perennial contender in the Western Conference, and they are a great team on the rise.

The Wild also play in the hockey hotbed that is Minnesota, so it's understandable why Larkin would want to go there and play with the Wild's superstar winger Kirill Kaprizov and stud defenseman Quinn Hughes.

At this time of writing, the Golden Knights, Panthers, and Wild are the only teams that Larkin would go to. But if he expands his list, other top contenders like the Dallas Stars and Tampa Bay Lightning could enter the mix.

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Potential Trade Packages for Dylan Larkin

Now, let's take a look at some of the potential trade packages that Larkin's three preferred trade destinations could offer him.

Let's start with the Golden Knights. In terms of draft pick assets, the cupboards are bare for Vegas, as they have already traded their first-round picks for the next two seasons, and they may have to give up their 2028 first if they win the Stanley Cup, as the team sent a conditional second-round pick to the Calgary Flames in this year's Rasmus Andersson trade, with the condition being it turns into a first if they win the cup.

So, if the Golden Knights trade a first-rounder or two for Larkin, they will have to come from four or five years out, unless they don't win this year's Stanley Cup, at which point they could include that 2028 first.

They also have several second-round picks they could deal to Detroit in a package for Larkin, though Detroit would, of course, want firsts. Detroit would also want some of Vegas' top prospects, such as 2024 first-round draft pick Trevor Connelly.

In terms of players, Larkin makes $8.7 million per year on the salary cap for five more years, so the Golden Knights would have to match salaries to fit him under their cap. William Karlsson makes $5.9 million next year in the last year of his contract, while Ivan Barbashev makes $5.5 million for the next two years. Either of these players could be salary-matching pieces in a Larkin trade.

As for Florida, the team owns its first-round pick this year, which is No. 9 overall. If the Larkin trade happens before the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, which takes place on June 26, then the Panthers could send this pick to Detroit. The team also has two second-rounders this year that they could sweeten the deal with, and they have some interesting prospects, too.

In terms of players, the Red Wings would likely want Anton Lundell. The 24-year-old Finn has won two Stanley Cups with Florida, and he is an excellent player. But Larkin is an upgrade on him, so perhaps Florida would move Lundell out for Larkin. Lundell makes $5 million per year, so he would make sense as a salary-matching piece.

Finally, we have the Wild. The Wild have their first-round picks in the next two drafts available to trade, and Detroit might ask for both of them in a trade for Larkin, since he's signed long-term. They'd also ask for one or two of Minnesota's top prospects.

In terms of players, the Wild don't have many players that they would trade that Detroit would be interested in, though Ryan Hartman and his $4 million salary for next year could go the other way to balance the money.

Detroit will likely play these three teams off each other to extract the best deal possible, assuming, of course, that these three clubs want Larkin. And why wouldn't they? He's an excellent player who is signed long-term, so he'd fit in with any of them.

When a player makes a trade demand and only gives three potential destinations, it puts pressure on a team to make sure they get the best trade package possible. If the Red Wings could trade him to any of the NHL's other 31 franchises, they could surely shop Larkin and get a better trade package.

But it looks like it will have to be either Vegas, Florida, or Minnesota, and Detroit is going to have to make do with what these teams offer, taking the best of the three offers, as it feels like Larkin's chapter in Detroit will soon come to a close.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 12:04 PM.