Dylan Larkin’s trade market may be about to get a lot louder.
With Connor Hellebuyck reportedly headed to the New Jersey Devils, the ripple effect from one major Team USA move could quickly reach the Detroit Red Wings captain. Hellebuyck and Larkin have plenty in common already: both are Michigan natives, both spent their entire careers with one franchise, and both won gold with Team USA in the 2026 Olympics.
They also shared something else this summer - trade requests. Larkin reported to the Red Wings after asking out, while Hellebuyck did not report to the Jets and was suspended from the roster.
Now Hellebuyck appears to be on the move anyway, and that kind of deal can shake up the whole market. The goalie becomes the second Team USA teammate to leave his club after the gold medal game, with Brady Tkachuk already gone as well. Once Larkin’s situation is resolved, three players - or four if Quinn Hughes is counted - from Team USA will have landed with new teams.
That matters for Detroit because a blockbuster usually changes how general managers think. A trade of this size can push other teams to get aggressive, and if a club was already on Larkin’s list, this is the kind of moment that could force action. That list may even be growing, and Chris Johnston of The Athletic has said there’s a chance someone not originally on it ends up making the final move.
The comparison only goes so far, of course. Larkin is a center and Hellebuyck is a goalie.
But once one major name comes off the board, teams often start moving faster. The NHL offseason already showed that kind of urgency, with big deals for Brady Tkachuk and Bowen Byram coming in quick succession.
That sort of momentum could be enough to tempt a front office into making a serious play for Larkin, especially if it believes he can be a top-six center for the long haul.
For Red Wings fans, the obvious question is what the return would look like. Hellebuyck’s haul was substantial: goaltender Nico Daws, Dawson Mercer, prospect Alex Command, Nick Bjugstad and two draft picks. If Detroit comes anywhere near that kind of package, it would be a strong outcome.
Still, these deals don’t happen in a vacuum. It takes two sides willing to close the gap, and getting an exact match for the Hellebuyck return feels unlikely.
But sooner or later, one of the teams on Larkin’s list will have to step up. When that happens, the Red Wings can probably expect an offer that lands somewhere close to what Winnipeg got for Hellebuyck.
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Wild Face A Tougher Dylan Larkin Fight Than Fans Hoped
Dylan Larkins situation has grown a lot more complicated for anyone trying to map out a clean path to the exit. What began as a short list of preferred destinations has reportedly widened into a group of 10 NHL teams, with Carolina, Colorado, New Jersey, Tampa Bay, Utah and Washington now among the clubs in the mix, and that broader field changes the conversation around what kind of market could even exist for a player of his caliber.
For the Red Wings, the issue is not just whether there would be interest, but whether any interested team has the assets, cap flexibility and urgency to make a move that makes sense. Some of the names attached to the discussion are contenders with real motivation, but each comes with its own complications, which is why this feels less like a simple sweepstakes and more like a hard-fought negotiation waiting to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Sabres Suddenly Have A Jiri Kulich Concern They Didn't Expect
The Red Wings are keeping a close eye on the trade chatter around Dylan Larkin, who has broadened his preferred destinations beyond Montreal and into several other NHL markets. Detroit has already shown it is willing to stay plugged into the situation, with Director of Professional Scouting Kris Draper in attendance for the Canadiens-Blackhawks game as the club monitored how the pieces might fall.
There is also a wider Atlantic Division ripple to keep in mind, especially with clubs juggling injuries at the same time Detroit is tracking its own roster health. The Red Wings already had one notable concern surface when starting goalie John Gibson was hurt against Vancouver and left last nights game with an upper-body injury, and the mix of cap pressure and health questions around rival teams only adds another layer to a deal market that could shift quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Red Wings Fans Have One Big Trey Augustine Question Now
The Griffins four-game winning streak ended with a familiar kind of frustration in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Cleveland Monsters, a game that asked a lot of the goaltending and did not give Grand Rapids much margin for error. Sheldon Dries was back with the club after a brief NHL stint with the Red Wings, but the story of the night was the teams inability to keep Cleveland off the board on special teams.
Trey Augustine turned in a busy night in net and kept the Griffins in it for long stretches, but the power play became the difference. Cleveland scored both of its goals with the man advantage, and the shootout stretched the tension even further before the deciding goal went through, leaving Detroit fans with the same larger question they have been circling around Augustine for a while now. [Read more 🡒]