Dylan Larkin’s Red Wings Leverage Has Clear Limits

His main tool has been the list itself. He started with three teams, expanded it to 10, and our breakdown of that 10-team list and its real fits showed how few of those clubs can absorb his contract cleanly. An ESPN source also said he is not looking for a trade to a Canadian team, which keeps a motivated suitor like Montreal out of the picture for now.

That leaves Larkin with two real levers. He can widen his list again, or he can change how he approaches the situation away from the rink.

The Hellebuyck Route Comes With a Cost

The league just watched the most extreme version of the second option play out. Connor Hellebuyck asked out of Winnipeg, did not report to training camp, and was suspended by the Jets, as our coverage of the goalie’s suspension explained.

The suspension was unpaid and stretched into the regular season before Winnipeg finally traded him to New Jersey on Oct. 23. Connor Hellebuyck got his wish, but he lost games, salary, and weeks of playing time to get there.

Larkin chose the opposite path. He reported to camp, accepted the loss of the captaincy, and returned to the lineup on Oct. 6 after an upper-body injury. That approach protects his value to contenders, but it also takes away the pressure that a holdout creates.

Bettman and the NHLPA Are Watching Too

Larkin’s situation is also part of a bigger argument. On Oct. 1, commissioner Gary Bettman told Sportsnet 590’s FAN Hockey Show that players choosing destinations and demanding trades “was never the original intention” of no-trade protection. He added that it could become something the league discusses with the players’ association.

The NHLPA pushed back quickly. Assistant executive director Ron Hainsey told The Athletic that no-trade and no-move clauses are “being used as originally intended” and called the comments “an attack on players’ CBA-negotiated rights,” as theScore reported.

That debate won’t decide Larkin’s future, but it shapes the environment around it. With the league and the union already at odds over how these clauses work, a more aggressive move from the former captain would draw attention well beyond Detroit.

What This Means for the Red Wings

The Red Wings have reasons to stay patient, especially if the list keeps growing. Montreal remains the most obvious example. We already looked at what the Canadiens could offer Detroit, and that conversation only becomes real if Larkin decides a Canadian market is worth it.

The club also has another contract fight on its hands. As we argued this week, the Red Wings must sign Edvinsson before any Larkin deal, because the young defenseman faces a Dec. 1 deadline that the former captain does not.

For now, the balance of power still sits with Detroit. Larkin can expand his list or raise the stakes, but the Hellebuyck case showed how costly the second option can be. The most likely path to a trade remains the one he has already started: giving the Red Wings more teams to work with until one of them meets the price.