Dylan Larkin’s trade request signifies a failed Red Wings rebuild; A trade will set the team back disastrously

Dylan Larkin’s trade request signifies a failed Red Wings rebuild; A trade will set the team back disastrously originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>The hockey world was stunned when Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin had requested a trade.

>It was big news indeed, especially considering the role Larkin has with the Red Wings and the fact that he’s just completed his 11th season with the Original Six franchise. He’s also entering the fourth year of an eight-year deal that contains a full no-move clause for the next two campaigns.

>There are plenty of things to unpack with his trade request, but one thing that’s true in all this is the setback that a Larkin departure would have for the Red Wings’ franchise.

>In a lot of ways, Larkin is what keeps the Red Wings together on the ice. He’s the team’s top-line center, and beyond him, Detroit is relatively thin down the middle of the ice.

>Aside from Larkin, the Wings’ next man up to take on the role of No. 1 center would be players such as Andrew Copp, Emmitt Finnie, Marco Kasper, or even J.T. Compher. None of those forwards has scored more than 43 points in a season the last two years for Detroit, compared to Larkin’s 64 goals and 137 points in that span.

>Without Larkin, the Red Wings will lose so much depth, talent, and leadership in one player. In other words, if the Wings’ brass can’t get Larkin to change his mind somehow, this will be a major step back for the organization.

>MORE: 4 NHL teams who can trade for Red Wings' Dylan Larkin following his trade request

>On a broader scale, Detroit has had multiple prime opportunities to make the playoffs in the last three seasons. This past year, they even sat atop the Atlantic Division on Jan. 25, but eventually fell out of the playoff race in the second half of the season.

>Part of the reason for missing the post-season was that the players did not perform at a playoff level. Still, another factor Friedman highlighted in his report was that Larkin was at odds with management because of how frequently they shied away in trade discussions. Larkin felt the team should be more aggressive in pursuing top players in trades, but once again, the Red Wings were fairly silent, trading for veteran defender Justin Faulk.

>Even at the end of the 2023-24 campaign, the Red Wings were tied on points with the Washington Capitals for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but weren’t favored in the tiebreaker.

>Yet, failing to capitalize on any of those opportunities, they now have the longest active playoff drought in the NHL, thanks to the Buffalo Sabres making the post-season this year. It’s been a whole decade since the Red Wings were in the playoffs, which marked Larkin’s rookie season.

>Now with Larkin potentially finding a new home this off-season, who knows if the Red Wings can get back to sniffing the playoffs?

>MORE: 3 Red Wings players who could follow Dylan Larkin out the door

>In fact, near the end of this past regular season, Detroit got a sense of what life without Larkin was like, and it was not pretty.

>Between March 6 and 24, Larkin was sidelined with a lower-body injury, and the Red Wings couldn’t post positive results without him. Detroit went 3-5-1 and was one of the worst teams in the league during that span.

>The Red Wings do have some foundational youngsters, including 24-year-old Lucas Raymond, 25-year-old Moritz Seider, and 23-year-old Simon Edvinsson, as well as prospects such as Nate Danielson, Max Plante, Michael Brandsegg-Nygard, Carter Bear, and Axil Sandin-Pellikka.

>However, for a team that’s missed the playoffs and hasn’t been competitive for as long as they have been, results begin to become more important than the quality of the franchise’s prospect pool.

>And Larkin’s probable departure will only set back Detroit’s timeline toward being a Stanley Cup or even playoff contender.

More NHL NewsTaking a look at Judd Brackett's history as a talent evaluator; What he'll bring to the Maple Leafs • >Drafting Gavin McKenna is the only option for the Maple Leafs at the 2026 NHL draft • >‘It’s upsetting,’ Bruce Cassidy speaks about Golden Knights denying him permission to speak to NHL teams • >Mitch Marner isn't allowed to pick and choose when he talks about his past with the Maple Leafs • >'It’s pretty clear I’ll be moving on,' Longtime Canadiens star gets emotional discussing future