The likely Dylan Larkin trade will have wide-ranging impacts on the Detroit Red Wings roster, including Alex DeBrincat's future with the organization.
Unless you've been stranded on a deserted island, Cast Away style, over the last week or so, you've seen plenty of coverage surrounding Larkin's shocking trade request. Every NHL team is wondering if it can fit the talented center onto its roster. Meanwhile, the Red Wings captain himself doesn't seem too keen on the idea of playing anywhere that doesn't feature a few of his Olympic teammates on the roster.
Huh. Wonder where the germ of this trade request came from.
Assuming that the Red Wings do end up dealing Larkin away, it could also signal the end of
DeBrincat's time wearing the winged wheel. Which is almost more depressing to think about than seeing Larkin lace up his skates in Minnesota.
Return for Dylan Larkin will likely determine Alex DeBrincat's Red Wings future
Most Red Wings fans probably agree with Octopus Thrower's own Katy Glaza, who recently wrote that the team "need[s] some pruning, not retooling or rebuilding." After a decade outside of the playoffs, you aren't going to find many folks in Detroit who want to hear the word retool tossed around by Steve Yzerman in the wake of a Larkin trade.
The preference is likely to acquire young, NHL-ready talent that can slot onto the Red Wings roster in 2026-27. Yzerman isn't fishing for first-round picks that probably won't make an impact at the pro level for another several years. Especially with how the organization is seemingly obsessed with over-seasoning high picks in the AHL.
Instead, the Red Wings will try to acquire a top-six center who can take on at least some of Larkin's minutes, while also perhaps looking to add to the blue line. If Detroit can avoid taking on futures in exchange for Larkin, then it's likely worth keeping DeBrincat around and extending him.
The team will need a "face" as it moves on without Larkin, and the 28-year-old forward seems like just as good an option as anyone else on the team. He shows up and plays hard every single night, and could even be an optimal captain if head coach Todd McLellan decides to name one during training camp or in October.
If the Red Wings are forced to take on non-NHL prospects and picks for Larkin, however, it would likely also spell the end of DeBrincat's time in Detroit.
Trading Alex DeBrincat after Dylan Larkin would align Detroit's timeline
Getting back another player or two in their early-to-mid 20's would prevent Detroit from needing to start really building around their high-end prospects this season. Someone like Nico Hischier would be ideal here. If it's picks coming back, though, suddenly DeBrincat and even Patrick Kane and Justin Faulk look like luxuries the Red Wings don't need in 2026-27.
As we've seen from teams like the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals, it is possible to sink for one year, only to rebound the next as trades are won and prospects grow. Winning trades will be a key part of this process, however, and the Red Wings' pro scouting department is why they are stuck in the mushy middle in the first place.
Let's say Detroit acquires Florida's ninth-overall pick, along with forwards like Eetu Luostarinen and Sandis Vilmanis, as proposed by The Athletic. That pushes the Red Wings timeline back considerably, and would make DeBrincat one of the marquee potential additions ahead of next year's trade deadline.
Acquiring another first-round pick along with a high-end defensive prospect and an established NHL player for DeBrincat, along with the return on Larkin, would give Yzerman ammo to go big-game hunting if he wanted to, or continue to add to the organization's considerable prospect pool. If this leads to being able to contend in a possible Auston Matthews bidding war, fans in Detroit will forget about Larkin faster than you can say "what have you won for the Red Wings lately?"
One way or the other, what Detroit manages to get in exchange for Larkin will rattle the Red Wings' roster to the core.
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