Dylan Larkin of the Detroit Red Wings and Connor Hellebuyck (formally) of the Winnipeg Jets have quite a bit in common.
Both are Michigan natives. Both have played with just one club their entire career. Both won gold with Team USA in the 2026 Olympics. The thing they share most in common with each other, however, are their trade requests. During the summer, both Connor Hellebuyck and Dylan Larkin requested trades from their clubs. Where Larkin chose to report to the Red Wings, Hellebuyck refused to report to the Jets, resulting in his suspension from the roster.
Now, it appears as if Hellebuyck may be on his way to the New Jersey Devils.
Hellebuyck is the second teammate from Team USA to leave his club following his gold medal game, joined by Brady Tkachuk. Once Larkin's request is completed, three players (four if you count Quinn Hughes) from Team USA will have joined a new team.
While Larkin and Hellebuyck play different positions, the market heating up will almost certainly have a ripple effect on Larkin's trade prospects.
How the Hellebuyck trade helps Larkin's camp
Any team in hopes of securing a serious upgrade will now have to go back to the drawing board. Fortunately - assuming they aren't looking just for goaltending - there's already an answer. They will, of course, have to already be on Larkin's trade list, but it seems as if that list is expanding with each passing day. Even Chris Johnston of The Athletic believes there's a chance someone outside Larkin's list makes the final move from him in the end.
A blockbuster trade like this can make other general managers trigger happy. Take a look at the NHL offseason and how quickly we saw trades happen. In the span of a few short days, blockbusters for Brady Tkachuk and Bowen Byram happened in quick succession. It's entirely possible that someone gets excited and takes a swing on Larkin in hopes that they can secure a top-six center for the long run.
But what should Red Wings fans hope to receive from a Larkin deal? It's dragged on so long that it's hard to imagine what will come out of this.
What Red Wings fans can expect in return
Hellebuyck's return was a massive one: goaltender Nico Daws, Dawson Mercer, prospect Alex Command, Nick Bjugstad and two draft picks. If a Larkin deal can get somewhere close to this, the Red Wings will make out of this Larkin situation like bandits.
As the old saying goes, though, it takes two to tango. Realistically, it's hard to imagine that the Red Wings will be able to get a return identical to what Hellebuyck got, but one of the teams on his list will have to pony up sooner or later. When they do, the best offer will likely be something relatively close to what the Jets got from Hellebuyck.
If the Red Wings truly believe the Minnesota Wild are the ideal partner, they need to put the pressure on Wild GM Bill Guerin and make sure he blows them out of the water with his next trade offer.
If not, Wild fans should seek a top center somewhere else.
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