The rumor mill has been in full swing since Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin requested a trade from the club. Now that the dust is starting to settle, we have a little more clarity on the situation. Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press has shared a list of three teams Larkin allegedly sees as a good fit for him.
Per St. James, the three teams Larkin would like to be traded to include the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and the Vegas Golden Knights. This should come as no surprise, as all three teams feature Larkin's teammates from the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics (Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Jack Eichel, respectively).
St. James does mention that, should the Red Wings not find a suitable candidate among this list, Larkin will be asked to offer a more expanded list. She suggests the Anaheim Ducks, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders could be potential candidates.
What each candidate brings to the Red Wings
Of the three potential trade candidates, the one that makes the least amount of sense is the Minnesota Wild. The Wild cashed in their prospect pool to net Quinn Hughes last season. As such, the best they have to offer are Jesper Wallstedt - a goaltender the Red Wings don't need - and Jayden Struble -- a forward the Red Wings don't want.
While Larkin would be an ideal fit for a team like the Wild, they just simply don't have enough going back the other way. Now, if they offer someone like Matt Boldy or Brock Faber (they won't), the trade would be more enticing. But, as of right now, a trade to the Wild makes no sense.
The Vegas Golden Knights are another perplexing candidate. What do the Knights have that the Wings would want? Sure, they could ask for the rights to winger Pavel Dorofeyev, but, in order to facilitate a trade, they'd likely have to take a contract back in return. That would mean acquiring someone like William Karlsson or Tomas Hertl in return.
Now, neither of those players are bad in their own right, but they're both in their early 30s and aren't quite the players they once were. Dorofeyev would be an intriguing candidate, but, as a winger, he would need a quality center to back him up. It's unlikely that Hertl or Karlsson can perfrom at the 1C role right now.
One candidate on the list could offer some intriguing upside, though: the Florida Panthers.
Why the Panthers are a great fit
As strange as it may sound, the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions might be just who the Red Wings should reach out to with this offer. The Panthers bottomed out this season, mising the playoffs after suffering a slew of injuries. They'll be drafting ninth overall in the 2026 NHL Draft this season, and, in all likelihood, they'll try to flip that pick for immediate help.
If the Red Wings are serious about playing to Larkin's list, they should absolutely inquire about the ninth overall pick and center Anton Lundell. Lundell, 24, hasn't been able to play to his fullest potential behind Alex Barkov. With Detroit, he'll get a chance to play to his strengths and show just why he was a top pick in his draft.
It's unlikely a trade will happen anytime soon, but, if it does, keep an eye on these three teams over the next few weeks.
