By now, the entire NHL has had time to digest the Dylan Larkin trade request. Enough information has gotten out to make sense of what's really going on.
While Larkin wanting out of Detroit really isn’t anything new, the bottom line is that the situation came to a head this week.
And the details surrounding the stunning trade request have left the Red Wings organization with a black eye.
According to the chatter, the relationship sort of soured between Detroit and Larkin during his last contract negotiation. As insider Elliotte Friedman noted in Friday’s edition of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, there was some animosity stemming from those negotiations in 2023.
The two sides agreed to an eight-year deal worth $69.6 million. It seemed like the contract laid to rest any trade talk at the time. However, the chatter never really went away.
Then, the frustrating late-season collapses led to finger-pointing during end-of-year press conferences. Notably, following the end of the 2024-25 season, Larkin was vocal about the club’s inactivity during that season’s trade deadline.
GM Steve Yzerman put his money where his mouth was this past season, bringing in reinforcements. Yes, the reinforcements were useful, but perhaps they weren’t what the team and players were expecting.
That’s something to consider deeply. How much of a detrimental impact did missing out on Quinn Hughes have on the team? After all, the Red Wings were almost certain to land the current Minnesota Wild star. Failing to land Hughes was a black eye for the organization in and of itself.
Now, Larkin’s trade request casts significant doubt on the team moving forward.
How free agency may shake out in the future
There was a time when everyone wanted to play in Hockeytown. It was the premier destination for anyone wanting to win in the NHL.
Since the eventual decline of those legendary Red Wings squads, Detroit has lost much of the allure it once had.
The unfortunate addition of this Larkin saga raises an interesting question: Would free agents think twice about signing in Detroit?
The answer to that question is all about perception. If the market sees this Larkin ordeal as a one-off between the team and player, the hockey world might just shrug it off.
But if the perception is that there’s a more systematic problem in Detroit, free agents may reconsider potentially inking with the Red Wings.
If the latter proves to be the more accurate assessment, the club might have trouble filling out key positions via free agency. The same would apply to trade with players, potentially becoming reluctant to waive no-trade clauses.
Much of the organization’s image could shift based on the outcome of the Larkin trade. If the Red Wings handle the move smoothly, the entire situation could just get swept under the rug. That’s why a public feud is the last thing the organization wants at this point.
