Dylan Larkin wants out of Detroit. Steve Yzerman isn’t sure he’s going to let him leave.
The Red Wings captain recently requested a trade, a move first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and confirmed by The Athletic through a league source. Larkin’s agent, Pat Brisson, followed up the initial request with a short list of teams for which Larkin would consider waiving his full no-trade clause. Neither Larkin, Brisson, nor Yzerman commented publicly at the time the news broke on June 4.
Yzerman broke his silence five days later, addressing reporters in a video conference after the 2026 NHL Draft. He confirmed the call from Brisson and the subsequent list of acceptable destinations — then made clear the request carries no guarantees.
“Shortly after the season, I received a phone call from Dylan Larkin’s agent, informing me that Dylan would like to be traded,” Yzerman said. “A week or so after that, Dylan’s agent followed up with a short list of teams that Dylan would consider waiving his no-trade to go to.”
Yzerman pointed out that Larkin has five years remaining on the eight-year, $69.9 million contract he signed in March 2023, a not-so-subtle signal that Detroit will not move its franchise center without a return the organization considers fair.
“My job as the manager of the Detroit Red Wings is always to do what is in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings, and I will act accordingly to that,” Yzerman said. “I cannot make any guarantees, or did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met.”
The request lands on top of a decade of futility. Detroit has missed the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons — the longest active drought in the NHL. Larkin, who turns 30 at the end of July, has been captain since 2021 and is the only current Red Wing who was on the roster for the franchise’s last postseason appearance in 2016. He has 643 points in 808 career games, all in Detroit, the hometown team for the Waterford, Mich., native.
The relationship between Larkin and Yzerman has shown cracks before. The two appeared to clash publicly a year ago after Larkin voiced frustration over Detroit’s inactivity at the 2025 trade deadline. That tension, combined with the playoff drought, appears to be the driving force behind the request.
Larkin is coming off the high point of his career — an Olympic gold medal with the United States. He was on the ice when Jack Hughes scored the overtime winner against Canada in a 2-1 victory.
“Just to keep thinking back that we did it,” Larkin said after the gold medal game. “And that feeling of when Jack scored, throwing our gloves in the air, not knowing what to do, just screaming, yelling for 20 minutes on the ice, celebrating with guys — it was memories I’ll remember forever.”
The no-trade clause complicates any potential deal. Larkin controls his destination, and if his list is limited to Stanley Cup contenders, those teams are unlikely to gut their rosters for a 30-year-old center — even one coming off an Olympic gold. Yzerman, for his part, has a reputation for refusing to be pressured into deals he doesn’t like.
The Athletic outlined three realistic paths: move quickly to stay competitive next season by acquiring a replacement center, embrace a deeper retool built around prospects and draft picks, or let the situation drag into the summer and beyond. Each carries risk. The Eastern Conference is unforgiving, and spending assets to chase immediate success — only to miss the playoffs again — could leave Detroit worse off than before.
Yzerman acknowledged the Larkin situation creates “certainly a lot of uncertainty” around roster construction with free agency approaching. Among Detroit’s pending unrestricted free agents is 37-year-old Patrick Kane, who posted 57 points in 67 games last season.
“We would love to have Patrick remain with the Red Wings,” Yzerman said.
Ten years without a playoff game. A captain who wants a ticket out. A general manager who won’t blink. The Red Wings’ offseason is already the most consequential in years, and it’s barely started.
Sources
- The Athletic — Dylan Larkin trade request
- Sportsnet — Elliotte Friedman reports Larkin trade request
- NHL.com — Steve Yzerman comments on Larkin
- The Athletic — Yzerman’s path forward on Larkin