Dylan Larkin’s trade request has gone from a personal standoff to a league-wide talking point, and now even players outside Detroit are taking swings at the situation.
One of the sharpest came from Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, who was asked about his teammate Nikita Kucherov’s trade request. Hagel made a point of contrasting Kucherov’s situation with Larkin’s, saying:
"Listen, Kuch is a good friend, a good teammate. He loves the city.
He's done everything he possibly could for the city. It's not like he committed to be here for eight years and asked out two years into it."
That line lands as a clear shot at Larkin, who asked out only a few years into his eight-year extension. The tone around him has changed fast, and the patience that once surrounded his request has given way to criticism.
The Red Wings, meanwhile, have already started acting like a team that has moved on. After Larkin’s suspension, Detroit beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1, and the response around the group was impossible to miss. Alternate captain Alex DeBrincat said:
"We've come together as a group and decided we're going to stick up for each other, play for each other every day, come to the rink and work hard. That's the culture we're setting here. We're going to move forward, and we're going to be fine."
Moritz Seider echoed that feeling after the win.
"I think it meant a little more," said Moritz Seider when asked about the victory given Larkin's suspension. "We've got a really good group in here.
This is us. We're going to do this together."
The signs of separation are visible beyond the ice, too. Larkin’s locker is gone from Little Caesar’s Arena, and the posters and promotional material with his image have been taken down. What once looked like a defining chapter for the franchise now appears headed toward being remembered as something much smaller - or as the starting point for something better.
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Dylan Larkin Trade Talks Just Hit A Massive Red Wings Roadblock
Dylan Larkins name has been circling in trade chatter, but the latest wrinkle is less about what another team wants and more about where the Red Wings captain is willing to go. According to NHL insider Chris Johnston, Buffalo put forward a significant offer for Larkin, only for Detroit to run into the wall created by his no-trade clause, which gives him control over where any deal can land.
The clause matters because Larkin can approve a move only to a limited group of teams, and Buffalo is not on that list. Montreal is also among the clubs with interest, and the situation is still fluid enough that his approved destinations could change soon, leaving Detroit in a holding pattern until there is clarity on whether the list gets updated. [Read more 🡒]
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The NHL trade market has started to tilt toward star power, and Detroits Dylan Larkin is right in the middle of the conversation. Buffalo has shown interest in the Red Wings captain, but for now the idea of him landing there remains a nonstarter, which keeps the focus on how much leverage Detroit actually has if the market keeps heating up around top-line centers.
Elsewhere, Nikita Kucherov has put his own situation into the open after explaining why he asked out of Tampa Bay, adding another major name to a market already drawing attention from teams like Toronto and Montreal. He still has not identified preferred destinations, which leaves plenty of room for speculation and keeps the ripple effects moving for clubs trying to gauge what kind of trade landscape they are really dealing with. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Got A Breakthrough Performance At The Perfect Time
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Carter Mazur was part of that surge, and his night stood out as one of the more encouraging signs for a team looking for traction. Head coach Todd McLellan and Brandsegg-Nygard both pointed to the performance as a positive step, but Detroit still has to carry it into the second half of the trip, where the challenge comes fast and the margin for error stays thin. [Read more 🡒]