ESPN’s Emily Kaplan discusses the Red Wings’ situation with Dylan Larkin and the Winnipeg Jets’ attempts to trade the equally disgruntled Connor Hellebuyck as part of a column highlighting the NHL’s “biggest storylines” going into the 2026-2027 season.

She reports that the Wings stubbornness regarding their “asking price” for Larkin is holding up a deal:

While Detroit stripped the “C” from Larkin, there’s still a path forward for the homegrown center to remain with the Red Wings. Larkin was nicked up entering camp but is expected to start the season with Detroit and see where it goes. As far as I understand, the trade request still stands, though there are no guarantees it gets done this season.

Teams that have inquired about Larkin over the past several weeks say they aren’t sure the Red Wings know what they want to do. They also believe that, to complete a trade, Detroit will have to come down from its asking price and potentially become more willing to accept futures.

The GM search this summer yielded no long-term hire, with Shawn Horcoff getting the interim title in September. Detroit says Horcoff has full authority, but how aggressive can an interim GM be in making a franchise-altering trade?

Continued; I understand that there’s frustration about Detroit not closing a deal, but Detroit cannot simply accept future assets for their #1 center, even if he’s a #1B center on other teams. The team is holding out for the right reasons, and while the return for Larkin isn’t going to be what the Red Wings hoped…

They can’t just accept some draft picks and prospects and simply move on for the sake of moving on.