This summer's NHL trade market just got quite a bit more interesting. Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has requested a trade, according to Sportsnet.
The 29-year-old Larkin just notched 34 goals and 33 assists for the Red Wings last season -- his fifth straight year hitting the 30-goal mark -- and he was instrumental in Team USA ending its lengthy gold medal drought at the 2026 Olympics.
Under the hood, things weren't quite as pretty as Larkin posted a 47.5% expected goals share and a minus-5 goal differential at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick. Larkin has enough talent and a good enough track record for teams to believe he can bounce back in a new environment.
Larkin has five years remaining on his contract at $8.7 million per season, and he has a full no-trade clause for the next two years. That means Larkin, who has never played on a team based outside of his home state of Michigan, will have full control over his destination because Detroit can't make a deal without his approval.
Given that Larkin has played in just five playoff games in his 11 seasons, it's probably a fair bet that he would prefer to go somewhere with a roster that's ready to win now. Following the 2024-25 season, Larkin expressed frustration that general manager Steve Yzerman was inactive at the trade deadline as the team was in the midst of a playoff race.
This past season, Detroit acquired veteran players in defenseman Justin Faulk and winger David Perron, whose combined age is 72. Those additions didn't move the needle enough, and Detroit's playoff drought reached 10 seasons.
So, when looking at possible trade destinations for Larkin, the focus was on teams that have an obvious need at the center position and are in win-now mode. Here are the five landing spots that make the most sense for Larkin.
Minnesota Wild
The Wild seem to be the most natural fit for Larkin on a couple of different levels. Perhaps most importantly, Minnesota is in desperate need of a center. The team's lack of depth at that position was on full display in the playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche. All it took was an injury to Joel Erkisson Ek, and things started to fall apart up front. Larkin would give Kirill Kaprizov the first high-end center of his career, and he'd instantly transform Minnesota into a legitimate Cup contender.
Additionally, Larkin was a key player for Team USA during its gold-medal run at the 2026 Olympics. The architect of that team was Bill Guerin, who is also the general manager in Minnesota. That familiarity -- along with the quality of the team -- may be enough for Larkin to waive his no-trade clause.
With a projected $12.7 million in salary cap space next season, the Wild could add Larkin, but they may also have to move out other players to piece together the rest of the roster. Perhaps some combination of Danila Yurov, Jesper Wallstedt and a first-round pick could entice Detroit.
Montreal Canadiens
The biggest knock on the Canadiens in 2025-26 was that they were a bit of a one-trick pony on offense. The first line, anchored at center by Nick Suzuki, did a lot of the heavy lifting. Behind Suzuki, Montreal didn't have many dynamic players at center. In the Eastern Conference Final, that allowed the Carolina Hurricanes to hone in on Suzuki's line as they dominated the Canadiens for the better part of five games.
If Montreal can acquire Larkin, he and Suzuki would be a phenomenal one-two punch down the middle. Larkin could play alongside the young Ivan Demidov -- giving the skilled winger a veteran running mate with plenty of speed. Those two could be a handful for any defenseman.
Entering the offseason, Montreal has every key player under contract for the 2026-27 season, and it still boasts nearly $11 million in cap space. The Habs have a good prospect pool, and they own each of their first-round picks for the foreseeable future. If Larkin agreed to play in Montreal, this would be a tremendous fit.
Buffalo Sabres
In their first playoff appearance since 2011, the Sabres were one win away from the Eastern Conference Final. Larkin could be the missing piece that gets the team over the hump in 2027. There's evidence to suggest that Tage Thompson is better on the wing, and that leaves an opening down the middle in the Buffalo lineup.
Josh Norris is a nice two-way player, but he's better suited for a middle-six role. Acquiring Larkin would allow the Sabres to slot Norris into a more appropriate spot on the second or third line, and it would inject some speed into the equation, which would also help Buffalo. The Sabres need to capitalize on this momentum, and they should take a big swing at Larkin.
The downside to this move would be that the Sabres probably couldn't afford to sign winger Alex Tuch. As great as Tuch has been for Buffalo, the team does have young forwards like Zach Benson and Konsta Helenius on the rise, so perhaps the 30-year-old Tuch becomes a bit more expendable at this stage of his career.
San Jose Sharks
Presumably, the Sharks have their No. 1 center for a long time to come. Macklin Celebrini is already a bona fide superstar, and he'll only continue to improve. He needs some help behind him, and 2025 first-round pick Michael Misa didn't always look ready for primetime in his rookie season. Adding Larkin to the mix would give San Jose one of the best second-line centers in the league, and it would take some pressure off Misa as he develops.
In fact, Celebrini probably needs some of the offensive burden lifted off his shoulders, too. He notched 115 points last season, and his next closest teammate was Will Smith with 59. Larkin tallied 67 points in 74 games last season, and he's potted 30 goals in each of the last five years.
There is no question that the Sharks have the assets. Cap space, prospects and draft capital abound in San Jose on the heels of an aggressive rebuild. The only question is about whether the Sharks are a desirable landing spot for Larkin.
Philadelphia Flyers
As we saw in 2025-26, the Flyers were a pesky team full of interesting young talent. A resurgence from Trevor Zegras improved the center outlook in Philadelphia, but it could use more help there.
The Flyers simply lacked the offensive firepower to compete with the best teams in the East, and that flaw haunted them in their second-round playoff loss to the Hurricanes.
Larkin would give the Flyers a nice combination of goal-scoring and playmaking while also bringing a veteran perspective to a young core. The idea of Larkin playing alongside Porter Martone -- who burst onto the scene in limited action as a rookie -- should be pretty enticing for general manager Danny Briere.
Much like the Sharks, the Flyers have the money and draft picks to get a deal done. If the Red Wings want an NHL-ready player in return, that could be an issue, because Philadelphia may not be able to swing a deal without really hurting its roster in the short term. The Flyers just aren't deep enough to lose productive players -- especially at forward.
