After 11 seasons, it appears Dylan Larkin has played his final game in Detroit.
Larkin has requested a trade from the Red Wings, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
The word has apparently been circulating this week at the draft combine in Buffalo.
"There appear to be two critical factors" in Larkin's request, per Friedman: "Detroit’s inability to make the playoffs, and a somewhat frosty relationship between the captain and the team’s top hockey executive" Steve Yzerman.
Larkin and Yzerman had a public clash of sorts at the end of last season when Larkin lamented Yzerman's lack of moves at the trade deadline to bolster the Red Wings' playoff push, and Yzerman responded by calling on "our best players, our leaders" to raise their games."
"That's what they're paid for and that's the expectation for them," Yzerman said.
Larkin just finished his sixth season as captain of the Red Wings, in which they missed the playoffs for the 10th straight year, the longest current drought in the NHL, and collapsed in March for the fourth straight year.
Larkin had a career-high 34 goals to go with 67 points in 74 games, but struggled to produce offense at five-on-five for much of the season. He will draw significant interest on the trade market as a top-line center making $8.7 million per year for five more seasons, a bargain by today's standards.
Larkin has a full no-trade clause through 2027, meaning he can essentially choose his destination. That shrinks to a 10-team no-trade clause in 2028 when he would lose significant leverage in where he plays next.
Yzerman is a notoriously tough negotiator in trades, and isn't typically one to budge. He doesn't have to trade Larkin if he doesn't find an offer to his liking.
He will not be bullied into any scenario he dislikes, no matter how much pressure is applied," says Friedman. "It’s hard to believe, though, that someone won’t step up to make it worth his while."
