Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin has requested a trade. The Capitals have been named as a possible destination. He certainly would be a good fit. Larkin is a number one center, a leader in the locker room, and a point producer. However, the competition for Larkin’s services will be intense, which may make it unlikely he will probably not end up in the nation’s capital.
Larkin grew up a Red Wings fan and has played eleven seasons in Detroit. When he asked for a trade, it shook the hockey world. The Caps are looking for a player with Larkin’s pedigree to get them to the next level, and they are stocked with assets to make a deal. Larkin would immediately upgrade the Caps struggling power play; he had 13 powerplay goals and 27 total power play points this past season. He would give the Capitals another center to go along with Dylan Strome, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Ilya Protas, and Justin Sourdif, making them pretty tough to defend. There’s just one problem. It’s going to cost too much for the Caps to trade for Larkin.
First of all, Minnesota, Boston, Los Angeles, and Montreal all are desperate for a no. 1 center . Number one centers do not grow on trees and hardly ever become available. Those four teams made the playoffs with varying degrees of success in 2025-26 and Larkin would be a great fit for any of them. He could be the difference maker for any one of those teams.
Second, with the emergence of Justin Sourdif and the development of Ilya Protas, the Capitals don’t need a top center. Caps general manager Chris Patrick could focus trading for a winger or signing a free agent or restricted free agent to an offer sheet with the skills they seek. The Caps could still get the player they want without giving up the bank to bring him to DC. Detroit general manager Steve Yzerman isn’t going to let Larkin go for cheap, which is the main reason the Caps will most likely pass.
Yzerman was the architect of the great Tampa Bay teams that eventually won a Stanely Cup in 2020 after Yzerman left. He came back to Detroit to save the struggling franchise he led to three Stanley Cups with the“Yzer-Plan” seven years ago. But it’s been tough skating for the Red Wings who haven’t made the playoffs in ten years. They almost made it back to the playoffs the last two season before flaming out at the end of the season. Twice. With the Yzer-plan spinning wheels, Yzerman has a chance to flip Larkin and get a huge return.
Larkin wants out and Yzerman has to get everything he can for him. Stevie Y is known for being a master at the trade and I seriously doubt he will trade Larkin to a team in the Eastern Conference. In the end, Larkin will probably end up in Minnesota or some other place out west. Yzerman will get the most for Larkin that he can, which is more than I think the Capitals are willing to pay.
