What reported Dylan Larkin trade request means for Rangers summer plans
Nothing that happens in the NHL takes place in a void, where it doesn’t affect other teams in one way or another. Such is the case with Dylan Larkin’s reported trade request, and what that means for the New York Rangers during this offseason.
NHL insider Elliotte Friedman was first to report that the Detroit Red Wings captain and Michigan native requested a trade from his hometown team on Thursday. The Red Wings just missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th consecutive year, finishing seven points behind the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card into the postseason from the Eastern Conference.
Larkin’s played 808 NHL games, all with the Red Wings, but just five in the playoffs since they selected him with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2014 draft. His frustration with that, and hockey boss Steve Yzerman, apparently is at the root of his desire to leave Motown. Last year, Larking called Yzerman out publicly for not doing more to fortify the Red Wings roster ahead of the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. Yzerman sniped back at Larkin, pointing out that Detroit’s leadership group — led by Larkin, its captain — needed to do more to get the Red Wings over the hump and back into the playoffs.
Yzerman is not one to be backed into a corner. So, it’s interesting to see how this reported trade request plays out. Larkin enters the fourth season of an eight-year, $69.60 million contract next season, and, importantly, has complete no-trade coverage through 2027-28. So, if he’s serious about moving on, Larkin’s got plenty of leverage.
“There’s a lot to unpack here,” Friedman reported. “First, should mention that no one would comment. Not Larkin, not agent Pat Brisson, not Red Wings Executive Vice-President & GM Steve Yzerman.”
Friedman stated multiple sources confirmed the trade request, and later Thursday, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan also confirmed the report.
So, OK, that’s a mess for the Red Wings. But what does it have to do with the Rangers?
How Rangers offseason plans affected by Dyan Larkin trade request from Red Wings
If Larkin does indeed land on the offseason trade market, everyone’s got to take notice. He’s 29, scored 30+ goals five straight seasons and six times overall, is a respected captain, and helped the United States capture gold at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.
So, again, how does this specifically affect the Rangers?
Rangers likely not players if Larkin traded
If the Red Wings do trade Larkin this summer, it’s extremely unlikely the Rangers will be part of the frenzy. First, New York already is locked in to veteran centers Mika Zibanejad and J.T. Miller, plus still has Vincent Trocheck. It’s not that the Rangers don’t need Larkin, but he’s a positional redundancy.
True, they could move Miller to wing and go with a dynamic 1-2 punch down the middle with Zibanejad and Larkin. But that’s, as stated above, unlikely.
A big reason for that is the Red Wings will demand a haul in return for Larkin. This isn’t simply jettisoning a disgruntled player. This is the long-time face of the Red Wings, their captain and best forward, and hometown boy.
The Rangers are building their roster and prospect pool back up. The can’t afford to trade away any of their best young players like Gabe Perreault, nor move the No. 5 overall pick in this year’s draft. Pretty hard to imagine a plausaible fit for Larkin.
Larkin either muddies or helps Rangers trade market for Trocheck
So, if the Red Wings do look to trade Larkin, how does that affect the market for Trocheck? While there’s a case to be made that the Rangers should keep the 33-year-old, it’s expected Trocheck will be traded to move the organizational retool along. Trocheck is a valuable commodity — a two-way center who plays all game situations, is one of the best in the League at the face-off dot, has excellent leadership skills, and proven to be a big-game player.
Plus the $5.65 million AAV over the next three years of his contract makes Trocheck even more valuable to interested teams, one of which could’ve been Detroit, which sought a 2C to play behind Larkin before this latest detour.
Of course, if the Red Wings do look to move Larkin, that will affect the market for Trocheck. They’re not dissimilar players, though Larkin is more proven offensively and is four years younger. But he makes significantly more money, has one more year on his contract, and would cost more to acquire in terms of assets. So, if you’re an interested team, there’s plenty to weigh.
But if you seek a quality center this summer, now you have two really good options — three, if you believe the St. Louis Blues will move Robert Thomas. Larkin’s availability does cut into Trocheck’s market, which grew exponentially when Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Evgeni Malkin, and even Charlie Coyle re-upped with their current teams instead of hitting unrestricted free agency July 1.
So, now there’s more competition on the center market. You can argue that the Rangers can try and leverage the high price that the Red Wings are expected to seek. Maybe that somehow works in New York’s favor. But mostly, this means the Rangers — and Trocheck — aren’t the only high-end game in town this summer. And that could, in theory, affect what goes down with Trocheck.
