The Detroit Red Wings are heading into camp with more uncertainty than they’d like, and Dylan Larkin is right at the center of it.
Larkin’s trade request, which came ahead of Game 2 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Final on June 4, set off a chain reaction that has shaped the rest of the offseason. That request was likely in motion before it became public, and it landed in a tense stretch for the organization.
On July 15, Steve Yzerman stepped down as general manager and became a senior advisor to owner Chris Ilitch. There has been debate over how that move came together - whether Yzerman stepped down, was fired, was asked to step aside, or whether it was a mutual decision to move on.
Whatever the label, the result is the same: the Red Wings are in a messy spot.
The friction between Yzerman and Larkin has been there for a while. Two seasons ago, Larkin publicly criticized Yzerman for not doing enough, and Yzerman pushed back. It has played out like a public war of words, and the trade request only made the situation more difficult to untangle.
Larkin has reportedly been firm about his preferred destinations, with only the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars, and Tampa Bay Lightning on his list. Other teams, including the New Jersey Devils, would have interest if he widened that list. Before Yzerman’s departure from the GM role, the asking price was high, which makes sense for a player who is a No. 1 center for the Red Wings and some other teams, but more of a No. 2 center on a championship-caliber roster.
Still, with the Yzerman change coming this late in the offseason, Detroit is not in a hurry to dump Larkin for very little in return. The new head of hockey operations has been left with a pile of questions and not many clear answers.
Whoever ends up running the hockey side next will have to handle the damage control with Larkin. He felt unheard as the captain of a team he grew up following, and as a Michigan native, he believed the necessary help should come from inside the organization, not from outside, given the depth in the Grand Rapids Griffins system.
There is plenty left to settle, and the big question is whether it can be repaired quickly or whether too much damage has already been done between Larkin and the Red Wings.
For now, the sense is that Larkin will start the season in Detroit. As Jim Biringer said on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio: “It feels like he will now.
If Steve Yzerman doesn’t step down or move on or ask to move on, whatever the case was, I’d say no. But it feels like they could probably figure this thing out at least to start the year.
Will he finish the season in Detroit? That’s another question that needs to be answered.”
Training camps are still six to seven weeks away, and the Red Wings are trying to sort out both their general manager situation and Larkin’s future at the same time. Trading away a problem is never the cleanest solution, but maybe a fresh start is exactly what both sides need.
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