Dylan Larkin’s trade request has already widened from three teams to 10, but Buffalo still isn’t one of them.
According to ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, the Detroit Red Wings center is willing to go to the Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild, New Jersey Devils, Tampa Bay Lightning, Utah Mammoth, Vegas Golden Knights and Washington Capitals. The Sabres remain outside that group, even though they fit a lot of the boxes a player like Larkin would seem to want.
Buffalo is a young team with a path toward becoming a legitimate Stanley Cup contender, and a first-line center of Larkin’s caliber could speed that up in a hurry. The 30-year-old is a three-time All-Star, and the fit on paper is obvious.
He wouldn’t be walking into an uncertain role, either. He’d step right in as Buffalo’s top center, lining up with Tage Thompson and Josh Doan or Zach Benson.
The Sabres also don’t appear to be disqualified by the usual reasons. Larkin is not avoiding the Atlantic Division, since both Florida and Tampa Bay are on his expanded list.
He also doesn’t seem intent on dodging high taxes, given New Jersey’s inclusion. And if Canada were a hard no, Buffalo still wouldn’t be the problem.
There’s also the USA Hockey connection. Buffalo already has one of Larkin’s Team USA teammates from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Tage Thompson, and if general manager Jarmo Kekalainen decides to make a major move, the roster could even add another in Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck.
From a trade standpoint, the Sabres have pieces Detroit could want. Josh Norris and Ryan McLeod are both NHL centers, Radim Mrtka is a prized prospect, and Buffalo also holds its first-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.
So the match keeps making sense, at least from the outside. That’s why it’s a little surprising Larkin still hasn’t added Buffalo to the list as he looks for a way out of Detroit.
Maybe that changes if this drags on.
Buffalo’s own forward group would look a whole lot different if Larkin ever landed there. Lindy Ruff has been shuffling lines regularly through the first nine games, mostly because the offense hasn’t looked like last year’s version and injuries have forced his hand. The team is moving toward better health, with Jason Zucker expected back Wednesday night, and a Larkin deal would only bring more stability.
For the sake of the exercise, with Norris as the center heading out, the Sabres would suddenly have a deep lineup that could keep pressure on opponents the way they did last season when they made the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
Larkin would also ease some of the scoring load on Thompson. He’s scored at least 30 goals in five straight seasons, and that kind of production would change the look of Buffalo’s attack.
Even so, the larger point remains the same: if the Sabres want to become a serious Cup threat, they still need a true No. 1 center. Larkin isn’t in the same tier as the league’s very best, with Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon leading that group, but he would still represent a major upgrade.
For now, though, it’s just a fit that makes sense in theory. Unless Larkin decides Western New York is on the table, Buffalo stays on the outside looking in.
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