Yzerman says ‘no guarantees’ on Larkin trade request

Steve Yzerman will not guarantee the Detroit Red Wings will fulfill Dylan Larkin's trade request.

The Red Wings general manager gave a brief statement and declined to take questions about Larkin in a video conference with reporters after the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft on Saturday, making his first public comments since the Larkin news broke June 4.

“Shortly after the season, I received a phone call from Dylan Larkin’s agent, informing me that Dylan would like to be traded,” Yzerman said. “A week or so after that, Dylan’s agent followed up with a short list of teams that Dylan would consider waiving his no-trade (clause) to go to.”

Yzerman pointed out Larkin has five years remaining on the eight-year, $69.9 million contract he signed with Detroit on March 1, 2023, seeming to indicate the Red Wings would not trade Larkin without receiving what they consider an appropriate return.

“My job as the manager of the Detroit Red Wings is always to do what is in the best interest of the Detroit Red Wings, and I will act accordingly to that,” Yzerman said. “I cannot make any guarantees, or did not make any guarantees, that that request could or would be met.”

Yzerman said the Larkin situation creates “certainly a lot of uncertainty” around the Red Wings’ roster building with the free agent market opening Wednesday. Among Detroit’s pending unrestricted free agents is veteran forward Patrick Kane. The 37-year-old had 57 points (16 goals, 41 assists) in 67 games last season.

“We can talk about free agency later on,” Yzerman said. “Having said that, yes, we would love to have Patrick remain with the Red Wings.”

Neither Larkin nor his agent, Pat Brisson, have spoken publicly about the situation since Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the trade request.

Larkin grew up in the Detroit area and has played his entire hockey career in the state of Michigan. The Red Wings selected him in the first round (No. 15) of the 2014 NHL Draft, and he has 643 points (276 goals, 367 assists) in 808 games for them, 10th in their 100-year history. He has been their captain since Jan. 13, 2021, wearing the “C” that Yzerman once wore for Detroit as a player.

But he has played only five games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, all in his rookie season of 2015-16. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for 10 straight seasons, their longest drought ever and the longest active drought in the NHL. Larkin got a taste of winning when he helped Team USA win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan in February, and he turns 30 on July 30.

There seemed to be tension between Larkin and Yzerman after the 2024-25 season. In his season-ending media availability, Larkin said the Red Wings didn’t gain momentum from the NHL Trade Deadline. Their most significant move was acquiring goalie Petr Mrazek and center Craig Smith from the Chicago Blackhawks for center Joe Veleno on March 7, 2025.

“Guys were kind of down about it,” Larkin said. “It’d be nice to add something and bring a little bit of spark on the ice, and maybe a morale boost as well.”

Yzerman responded by saying the Montreal Canadiens and St. Louis Blues didn’t do anything at the deadline and made the playoffs “led by their best players.” Asked about Larkin’s comments, he said: “I’m counting on our best players, our leaders, to give us a bit of a morale boost. That’s what they’re paid for, and that’s the expectation from them.”

Entering this season, Yzerman said he and Larkin were fine.

“I enjoy talking with him,” Yzerman told TNT on Oct. 15. “He’s very open with me. We communicate very well. So, I think we have a great relationship. The comments at the end of the season aren’t that big of a deal and certainly didn’t create any divide in the relationship.”