Updated 3x at 11:16 AM: Per the Detroit Red Wings, Dylan Larkin will attend training camp, but the Red Wings state that he’s going to relinquish the captain’s “C” for now.
Statements from Dylan Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings. pic.twitter.com/P2sZjqp9Iz
— Detroit Red Wings (@DetroitRedWings) September 11, 2026
Update: The Athletic’s Max Bultman weighs in with some background information:
Larkin’s trade request was the first piece of major news in what has become a summer of upheaval in Detroit.
Star winger Patrick Kane departed the franchise for a return to Chicago as a free agent in July. Earlier in July, the team announced that franchise icon Steve Yzerman would transition from general manager to a senior adviser to Red Wings CEO and governor Chris Ilitch.
The team has not yet announced a new general manager, leaving Larkin’s trade request unresolved.
In late June, Yzerman said he “did not make any guarantees” that he would meet Larkin’s request. Larkin, who has a full no-trade clause, provided a “short list of teams” for which he would waive the clause.
“Dylan is under contract as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Any conversations regarding his future with the Club will take place privately when a new hockey operations leader has been named. As such, we will not comment any further on this matter,” the Red Wings said in Friday’s statement.
Red Wings training camp is set to begin on Sept. 17.
Dylan Larkin will no longer be captain of the Detroit Red Wings pic.twitter.com/Jm3VUfiEQd
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) September 11, 2026
Update #2: Here’s some background from the Free Press’s Helene St. James…
When the Wings signed Larkin, 30, to an eight-year, $69.6 million extention on March 1, 2023, it included a no-trade clause that runs through 2027-28 (and then becomes a modified no-trade clause). That gives Larkin control of his destination, and the list he submitted to the Wings after making his request was limited to the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights. (The Wings were also in contact with the Dallas Stars, managed by former longtime Wings employee Jim Nill.)
Such a limited list hampered a trade, especially as Yzerman was looking for value-now player/s in return. The Wings are weak down the middle, and the potential of losing Larkin left a depth chart reading Andrew Copp, J.T. Compher, Marco Kasper and Michael Rasmussen.
The Wings also wanted to gain in return what they were giving up in Larkin: a top-line center in his prime with five years left on a contract with an $8.7 million annual average value that looks all the more favorable in a league with a salary cap ceiling hitting $104 million starting in 2026-27. And on top of that, the Wings had just paid out $31 million in actual salary over the first three years, leaving $38.6 million, an average salary of $7.72 million, remaining.
As if that wasn’t complicated enough, in mid-July there was another stunning development when the Wings announced Yzerman was transitioning from GM to senior advisor, leaving the Wings searching for new leadership for the front office, and the Larkin situation unresolved.
Update #3: MLive’s Ansar Khan also weighs in…
News of Larkin’s trade request surfaced on June 4. Former general manager Steve Yzerman had discussions with several teams, but Larkin’s limited list of destinations he agreed to waive his no-trade clause to join (Florida, Minnesota, Vegas and later added Dallas), made a move difficult.
Yzerman was fired in July in a bizarre twist to this saga. The Red Wings are still searching for a replacement.
The Red Wings in a statement said: “We look forward to seeing Dylan and the rest of his teammates at Little Caesars Arena for the start of training camp as we prepare for the upcoming season.”
Larkin has five years remaining on his contract at an $8.7 million average annual value ($7.7 million average in actual salary because it was front-loaded). With salaries escalating in the offseason, it would be virtually impossible for the Red Wings to replace his offense (five consecutive 30-goal seasons) at that cost.
Regarding the trade request, the Red Wings said, “Dylan is under contract as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. Any conversations regarding his future with the club will take place privately when a new hockey operations leader has been named. As such, we will not comment any further on this matter.”
It would be strange for a player who’s requested a trade to maintain the captaincy, and as such, Larkin will no longer wear the ‘C.’ The Waterford, Mich., native was named captain in 2021.
As does Pro Hockey Rumors’ Ethan Hetu:
The Red Wings are an organization undergoing significant organizational change, and the decision to move ahead without Larkin as captain only contributes to the feeling of instability attributed to the franchise. But even if it doesn’t help the outside perception that the Red Wings are in a bit of a chaotic period, the move is still an entirely defensible one.
Larkin does not want to be a Red Wing anymore, but until a trade can be completed, he’ll need to remain on the roster and participate as a normal player would. To keep him as captain would be inappropriate given the circumstances. This decision allows the Red Wings to shift their focus onto the players who have committed to – or in the case of pending UFA Alex DeBrincat – wish to commit to a long-term future in Detroit.
As for who might take up Larkin’s mantle as captain of the Red Wings, there are a few candidates that stick out. It should be noted that Detroit went two seasons without a captain in between the tenure of Henrik Zetterberg and Larkin, so the franchise is not averse to patience when it comes to selecting its new on-ice leader.
But such a wait may not be necessary this time around. The team has several viable candidates, such as star defenseman Moritz Seider. The team’s other alternate captain, star winger Lucas Raymond, figures to also contend for the role. The other logical candidate is DeBrincat, though that is almost certainly contingent on the player inking a long-term extension to remain with the club.
Despite this announcement, Red Wings fans may be in store for a bit of a wait until Larkin’s departure from the team is finalized. Detroit won’t agree to a Larkin deal without its hockey operations leadership firmly in place, and even when a new GM arrives, reaching an extension with RFA blueliner Simon Edvinsson may become the first priority.
But even if a trade isn’t immediate, the decision to strip the captaincy from the veteran center does make one thing clear: Larkin’s days in Detroit are numbered.
Take this from Detroit Hockey Now’s Bob Duff for what you will:
Larkin did appear to leave the door open a crack to the possibility that he would reconsider his trade request and remain in Detroit. He made his trade request while Steve Yzerman was still GM of the team. Yzerman was removed from the position in mid-July, and a successor has not been named.
“When new leadership is in place, we’ll talk further about the direction of the team,” Larkin said in his statement. “We will keep those conversations private, and I will keep my focus on the season ahead and on the guys in that room.”