Should The Habs Really Pursue Dylan Larkin?

In terms of pure skill, Larkin may be the best possible option for the Canadiens on the trade market that we are aware of right now; however, at age 29, turning 30 this summer, he is a bit older than even the more experienced part of the Habs core. This means that the window to win may get smaller if the Habs have to commit to him as their 2nd line centre, given that the cost to get him will almost surely need to include top prospect Michael Hage in the deal as Larkin clearly has a lot of value. Larkin has another 5 years on a contract that pays him $8.7 million per year and, with the cap going up over the next few years, makes his deal very team-friendly.

The current Red Wings captain has been very consistent offensively over the past 5 years, where he has scored at least 30 goals and 67+ points. It should also be noted that aside from the 2024-25 season, he missed some time with injuries, which has allowed him to flirt with the point per game mark, which includes the 2023-24 campaign, when he had 33 goals and 69 points in 68 games for his best points per game average. This past season, he scored a career-high 34 goals, but his 67 points in 74 games was the lowest total in the last 5 years. Still, those numbers are very good, and he is still in his prime for another 2-3 years. With that being said, we can expect him to score around 30 goals and 70 points if healthy during that time, but afterwards we may start to see him decline.

One of the main reasons for a likely decline in his game towards the end of his current contract is because a lot of his game tends to revolve around being a fast skater, and as a player starts to approach his mid-30s, he is bound to slow down in that department. There are some guys that have a fast decline in their game when their game revolves around speed, and there is a chance that Larkin could be one of those guys, as his speed is one of his best assets. Considering that Larkin is a lot more than just his speed, as he has a good shot and is a good 2-way centre, he will still be effective but just won’t be that 65-75 point player that he currently is right now. This could eventually make him unable to be an elite 2nd line centre that he could be now, which could be an issue as the rest of the Habs core should be at their best as a whole in about 3-4 years, which is why maybe getting a younger player in the off-season may be better, especially with the price it will cost.

Another issue is while he may be captain of the Red Wings currently, he seems to lack leadership and doesn’t seem to have the best attitude. Sure, we can compare this to the Jack Eichel situation in Buffalo when his character began to be questioned despite his team never making the playoffs, but unlike Eichel, Larkin isn’t a superstar, so there would be more of a risk in bringing him in. Now, I’m not in the Red Wings dressing room, so I can’t be sure, but the way he called out his management for not getting the team help at the 2025 trade deadline makes it look like he was making an excuse for not making the playoffs. Meanwhile, during this past 2025-26 season they got some help by acquiring forward David Perron and defenseman Justin Faulk, but the team fell apart afterwards.

At the deadline on March 6th, the Red Wings were a point ahead of the Canadiens for 3rd place in the Atlantic with a 35-21-7 record. Sure, they had played two more games than the Habs at that point, but they were in good position to make the postseason for the first time since 2016 nonetheless. Following March 6th, they would go 6-10-3 in their final 19 games to miss the postseason for the 10th straight season.

It’s understandable to see Larkin’s frustration after only making the playoffs once in his 11 years with the Red Wings, but if he were a better leader, he and his team likely would have made the playoffs at least once in the last three seasons when they were in a good spot to make it until late in the season. Obviously this isn’t all on Larkin, but he needs to take some accountability over the past few seasons, especially after the 2024-25 campaign, instead of making the comments he did.

Overall, it makes sense he wants a trade to finally taste playoff hockey elsewhere, but there have been questionable character issues with him in the past, which isn’t something the Habs need. Luckily, like Eichel in Vegas, Larkin wouldn’t need to be a leader in Montreal, which could cancel those issues out, but it is still something to be aware of.

At the end of the day, the main problem will always go down to that Larkin will be exiting his prime when the rest of the Habs core will be at their best. This is why it would be hard to pay something similar to what it apparently cost to get Matthew Knies from the Toronto Maple Leafs before that deal was nixed for coming in late at this year’s trade deadline. However, the difference is that to get Larkin, it would most likely be Hage who plays for the Michigan Wolverines instead of Alexander Zharovsky.

Although Larkin does hold the cards with a full no-trade clause, unlike Knies, so if the Red Wings captain really wants to come to Montreal, it can be for a much cheaper deal. If that’s the case and Hage, Zharovsky, or defensive prospect David Reinbacher doesn’t need to be included in the deal, it could be the perfect fit, as it would allow Larkin to play as the team’s 2nd line centre with much less pressure to lead until Hage is ready to take over after 2 full NHL seasons.

In conclusion, trading for Larkin for the price of a Hage/Reinbacher/Zharovsky (not as bad if he does go the other way), two 1st-round picks, and another prospect wouldn’t make sense for the Habs’ timeline championship window, as it would shorten it considerably. However, if the Habs can get away with making that deal without touching their big three prospects instead having maybe a Bryce Pickford and Owen Beck, then he may be the perfect fit for the Habs’ second-line centre for the next 3 seasons until Hage takes over. Therefore, trading for Larkin being a good idea depends on whether or not Hage and likely Reinbacher have to go the other way. For now, both guys are just too important to the Habs’ future, and getting a centre on the other side of 30 could be risky.

What are your thoughts on the Habs trading for Larkin?