We’ll have to take these reports for what they’re worth, with a little salt. Sports Illustrated’s Nathan Smith reports this about the Dylan Larkin situation, though his report’s without direct quotes…
The three initial teams on [Dylan] Larkin’s accepted list were the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights, all of whom featured key members of the Gold Medal-winning US Olympic Team that Larkin was a part of in 2026. Unfortunately, the Red Wings’ asking price has made negotiations rather slow, and according to The Athletic’s Michael Russo on the latest The Sheet episode, both the Panthers and Golden Knights no longer have interest in acquiring him.
Whether that’s due to the asking price of a 1C in return for Larkin or simply not having the overall assets/salary cap space, these two teams are officially out of the race, even though they were always long shots to land him given what it would have taken to make a deal happen.
Now, Minnesota is in the box seat to acquire Larkin, with Russo confirming they still have interest. The team is reportedly not willing to give in to Detroit’s current asking price, one that could change with a new front office coming in. There’s been no time when the two parties have been close to getting a deal done.
As a result, the most likely outcome in this situation is a reconciliation that sees Larkin return to Detroit this upcoming season, unless the long-time Red Wings center were to expand his trade list. If that were to happen, the likes of San Jose, Montreal, Utah and New Jersey would reportedly be interested, but for now, nothing has changed for Larkin’s camp, as he remains adamant about a trade to one of his four teams.
And the Detroit News’s Ted Kulfan surmises that the Red Wings may welcome Larkin to training camp as well:
According to an NHL source familiar with the impasse, the growing sense around the organization is Larkin will report to camp if he’s not traded by then — which is likely.
Shawn Horcoff, who was Yzerman’s assistant GM, currently is filling Yzerman’s role but doesn’t have the power to make a trade or sign players. That leaves Larkin’s situation murky, and given when a new GM is finally named, it’s likely there will not be enough time for the executive to formulate and complete such an important, franchise-altering trade.
Larkin, too, would be forfeiting $8 million in actual salary ($8.7 million salary cap hit) if he fails to report to training camp. It’s unlikely Larkin would pass on that money obviously, not to mention face the further backlash and disappointment from fans, many of whom have turned on Larkin as it is.
Larkin may also have a change of heart regarding the Wings, given who the new GM might be and the new GM’s vision for the future. It’s believed Larkin’s frustration with Yzerman, and the Wings’ 10-year drought of missing the playoffs, is what initially led Larkin to ask for a trade.
Make no mistake: the Wings, everything being equal, would foremost love to have Larkin in the lineup. Larkin had 34 goals (ranking second) and 67 points (third) and the Wings would sorely miss that offense, given the way the way the Wings’ summer has gone.
Kulfan also confirms Sean Shapiro’s report that TurnkeyZRG–which used to be just “Turnkey Group,” is involved in the Red Wings’ executive search:
Owner Chris Ilitch has hired a search firm, TurnkeyZRG, to identify potential candidates to fill Yzerman’s position. TurnkeyZRG helped Ilitch fill key spots in the Tigers’ front office, Ilitch’s baseball team, and the Tigers are listed as a recent client on TurnkeyZRG’s website.
Further, TurnkeyZRG was founded by Len Perna, currently chairman and chief executive officer, who previously was an executive director in sales for Ilitch Sports and Entertainment.
