How the Dylan Larkin trade request was handled by GM Steve Yzerman was thought to be a possible watershed moment for his tenure in Detroit. As it turns out, someone else is going to land on that particular grenade.
The Red Wings announced July 15 that Yzerman is being relieved of his GM duties and moved to an advisory role to Chris Ilitch, leaving the organization with Yzerman as a lame duck in the meantime. As such, it stands to reason the Larkin move — should it happen — will be handled by whomever the team appoints to take Yzerman’s mantle.
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REQUIRED READING: Why Steve Yzerman is out as Red Wings GM: Answering 5 big questions
Larkin, of course, requested a trade from the Red Wings in June, and has expressed interest in waiving his no-movement clause for the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers. The Dallas Stars have also been reported as a team Larkin would consider, but those reports are unconfirmed. Larkin has spent his entire professional career with the Red Wings since being drafted in 2014. They made the playoffs in his rookie year but haven’t made it since. He was named captain in 2021.
Yzerman and Larkin’s relationship has been chilly, at least to the public eye. Larkin criticized a passive trade deadline in 2025, and Yzerman said at the NHL draft whether Larkin would be moved depended on if the return was worthwhile. As a GM, Yzerman has been known to be cautious about trading pieces. Larkin has proven to be no exception.
The transition for the Red Wings creates two branching paths, and they hinge on a big question: Was Larkin’s problem with the Red Wings? Or was it with Yzerman?
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join brother Matthews.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Brady Tkachuk was traded to the Florida Panthers, where he will join brother Matthews.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Pavel Dorofeyev was traded to the New York Rangers.
(Bruce Bennett, Getty Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Darnell Nurse was traded to the San Jose Sharks.
(David Gonzales, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Simon Nemec was traded to the Calgary Flames.
(Ed Mulholland, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Vincent Trocheck was traded to the Utah Mammoth.
(Sam Navarro, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward JJ Peterka was traded to the Boston Bruins.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Mason McTavish was traded to the St. Louis Blues.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Mavrik Bourque was traded to the Nashville Predators.
(Steve Roberts, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Bowen Byram was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.
(Timothy T. Ludwig, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Alex Tuch joined the Washington Capitals in a sign-and-trade.
(Winslow Townson, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jordan Kyrou was traded to the Washington Capitals.
(Isaiah J. Downing, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goalie Jacob Markstrom was traded to the Florida Panthers.
(David Kirouac, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Blake Coleman was traded to the Minnesota Wild.
(Jerome Miron, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Keegan Kolesar was traded to the Detroit Red Wings.
(James Guillory-Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Nick Paul was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward William Eklund was traded to the Ottawa Senators.
(Kirby Lee, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Darren Raddysh joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in a sign-and-trade deal.
(Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Nick Paul was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Keito Newman, IMAGN IMAGES)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Marcus Pettersson was traded to the New York Rangers.
(Stan Szeto, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Joonas Korpisalo was traded to the New York Rangers.
(James Guillory, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Dennis Schneidler, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Goaltender Frederik Andersen signed with the Edmonton Oilers.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Viktor Arvidsson signed with the Detroit Red Wings.
(Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Mason Marchment signed with the San Jose Sharks.
(Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman John Carlson was signed by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jack Roslovic signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Perry Nelson, Perry Nelson-Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Forward Jaden Schwartz signed with the Colorado Avalanche.
(Stephen Brashear, Imagn Images)
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NHL players who changed teams in the offseason
Defenseman Ian Cole signed with the Chicago Blackhawks.
(Stephen R. Sylvanie, Imagn Images)
Path No. 1: Dylan Larkin stays with Red Wings
Yzerman is not exiting the Red Wings organization completely, but there is a world in which Yzerman being out of a decision-making role causes Larkin to rescind his trade request.
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The center is on a team-friendly contract, and his extremely truncated list of contenders who would be unwilling to part with win-now pieces makes moving him difficult. The longer this saga drags out, the worse it looks for both parties. If Larkin perceives Yzerman’s GM exit as the team choosing him over Yzerman (this is unlikely the case, but some will see it that way), perhaps he stays.
That’s still complicated. Captains asking out doesn’t happen especially often, so how the locker room would handle this path further muddies the waters of Larkin staying. But that’s a bridge the team would have to cross if it gets there.
Path No. 2: A new GM comes in and negotiates a Larkin trade
The problem with trading a player like Larkin, a franchise stalwart, is the return has to be worthwhile. Not just to the person making the trade, but also to the fanbase at large.
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Yzerman not making this deal takes every single piece on the board for a Larkin trade and moves it back to start. No passing go. No $200. If the Wild, Panthers or Golden Knights had any momentum in landing Larkin, that momentum has been completely arrested.
That can be good or bad. If Yzerman was asking for an unreasonable package for Larkin, another GM might ask for something more doable. With that being said, the new GM will be under tremendous pressure to get this move right. It can make or break a tenure before a single game has a puck dropped. And the Red Wings are not looking to go into another full-blown rebuild. Anyone will ask for pieces that get them back to the postseason.
Path No. 3: Absolutely nothing changes
This is not physics. Every action doesn’t necessarily beget a reaction.
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It’s completely possible Yzerman moves on, Larkin still wants a trade and Yzerman’s replacement can’t negotiate anything either. Should that happen, trade talks with the aforementioned teams will resume.
From there, it’s just a waiting game as both sides try to navigate the offseason. The Red Wings moving on from Yzerman is in no way a decision on Larkin. But if nothing else, it shows that progress wasn’t happening fast enough for the powers that be in Hockeytown.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What does Steve Yzerman move mean for Dylan Larkin trade prospects?
