Analyst weighs biggest question in fallout from Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin trade request

The Detroit Red Wings have not made the playoffs since 2016. That year, the Wings lost in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Tampa Bay Lightning. That was the only time Dylan Larkin has been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and now, Larkin has requested a trade from the Red Wings.

As fallout from the request is being analyzed, Bryan Hayes is wondering how Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman will handle the situation, per NHL Watcher.

“The question here for me is, will Steve Yzerman actually move on this? Yzerman is not a guy to be pushed around… will he bold and tell him, I’m not moving you, or if I do move you, I’m going to send you where I’m want to send you,” Hayes said.

Yzerman has a history of not wanting to be pushed around when it comes to decisions. Hayes brought up the situation between Yzerman and Steven Stamkos when Yzerman was in Tampa. He told Stamkos he could either take the offered contract or leave. This is a slightly different situation, though.

Larkin still has five years left on an eight-year contract extension he signed with the Red Wings and Yzerman in 2023 and took effect in the 2023-24 campaign. It has an AAV of $8.7 million and has a full no-trade clause for both 2026-27 and 2027-28.  This means Larkin would have to agree to any trade. Yzerman can try to force a deal, but Larkin could reject it and then cause a fracture in the locker room.

Still, there will be plenty of teams that are interested in the services of Larkin. The next step would be for Yzerman to start looking into options or try to repair the relationship with Larkin.

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