Red Wings Need to Trade Dylan Larkin ASAP

Steve Yzerman is Gone, So Why Isn’t Dylan Larkin?

In July, the Red Wings surprised the NHL world when they announced that franchise icon Steve Yzerman had been dismissed as the team’s general manager.

Yzerman was the Red Wings GM for seven years, but the team never made the playoffs once during that stretch and was overall mired in mediocrity.

So, he was sent packing, and the Red Wings still haven’t announced who will be his full-time replacement, though Shawn Horcoff is the interim GM.

There were heavy rumors that Larkin asked for a trade out of Detroit because he did not see eye-to-eye with Yzerman, and when the GM was canned, Larkin would rescind his trade request.

However, that has not been the case, as Larkin is said to still want to be traded.

Right now, he’s still the Red Wings captain, but it would be embarrassing to enter the season with a captain who clearly doesn’t want to play for a team.

So, if Larkin for some reason is not traded, the Red Wings need to strip him of the ‘C,’ at the very least.

But given he has made it clear that he doesn’t want to be in Detroit, the team needs to get rid of him.

Perhaps they are waiting for a new, full-time GM to be hired before they trade Larkin away, but with time running out before the season begins, it’s really odd that he hasn’t been shipped out yet, given he doesn’t want to be there.

It’s time that the Red Wings get rid of Larkin, even if they don’t get back the full trade value that they covet in a trade.

Where Could Dylan Larkin Be Traded To?

When Larkin requested a trade, he gave the Red Wings a list of three teams that he would be willing to go to: the Florida Panthers, the Minnesota Wild, and the Vegas Golden Knights.

There have been rumors that he would accept a deal to the Dallas Stars or Tampa Bay Lightning, too, but again, nothing has been done yet.

Since he has a full no-trade clause, Larkin can be somewhat choosy about where he wants to go.

The problem is that many of the teams that he requested a trade to are capped out, so he might need to expand his list if he truly wants out of Detroit.

With five years left on his contract paying him $8.7 million per season, Larkin is a valuable player on a good contract, so in theory, the Red Wings should get back a nice package of draft picks and young players for him.

But at this late stage in the offseason, with most teams capped out, he may have to be a bit more accommodating and give the Red Wings a longer list of teams that he would be willing to be traded to.

If he doesn’t, then the Red Wings might be forced to start the season with him on the roster, increasing the awkwardness.

That’s why Detroit needs to stop the madness now and get rid of Larkin, even if they don’t get back everything they want in a trade.