Red Wings Captain Dylan Larkin Will Only Accept Trade to These 3 Teams

When Sportsnet's Eliotte Friedman reported that Detroit Red Wings captain Dyla Larkin requested a trade last week, he instantly became the biggest prize of the NHL offseason.

"According to multiple sources, Dylan Larkin recently requested a trade from Detroit," Friedman reported. "… Larkin's involvement in the trade market is massive. He has a full no-trade clause both this season and next, so his control over the situation does not change July 1.

"He's a top-line center in a league desperate for centers, so there's going to be a ton of interest. His play at the 4 Nations and Olympics was stellar. That's going to excite potential trade partners."

Because of Larkin's no-trade clause, he has full control over where he ends up.

And according to Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Larkin has his list of potential landing spots narrowed down to three teams: the Florida Panthers, Vegas Golden Knights, and Minnesota Wild.

Because of injuries to Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov, the Panthers finished 40-38-4 and missed the playoffs this year. Prior to that, they'd made three straight Stanley Cup Finals, winning two of them.

Landing Larkin would no doubt make them the early Stanley Cup favorite in 2027, but there is one holdup to that potential trade.

"The return would have to be phenomenal, though, for Yzerman to trade Larkin within the Atlantic Division," St. James wrote.

The Golden Knights currently hold a 2-1 lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final. Adding Larkin to that roster, which includes three-time All-Star forward Mitch Marner, who scored 24 goals and 80 points this year, would certainly have Vegas right back in the Stanley Cup conversation next year.

Minnesota might make the most sense of the three teams, however, as St. James points out it would pair Larkin with USA Hockey alums and gold medalists Quinn Hughes, Matthew Boldy, and Brock Faber.

Playing for a Cup contender is obviously priority No. 1 for the 29-year-old Larkin, who's been to the playoffs just once in his 11-year NHL career.

Some other non-obvious potential Stanley Cup teams that could sneak in as dark-horse contenders to land him include the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers.

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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 4:43 PM.