Dylan Larkin told the Red Wings he will no longer play for them, and Detroit suspended him without pay on Thursday. He forfeits $41,237.11 for every day he sits. The Larkin era ended at 818 games with 278 goals and 649 points.
The Red Wings now have two problems they may be able to solve at once. Simon Edvinsson is still unsigned, and Larkin still has to be traded. Trading Edvinsson for a package that includes a young center could be the first step toward moving Larkin.
Larkin has no leverage but Edvinsson is running out of time
Larkin asked for a trade in June. Detroit has not reached a deal with any of the 10 teams on his list, and his agent, Pat Brisson, says Larkin has "had enough of the situation." But the situation is one that Larkin built himself. Horcoff said the team will keep exploring trades, and any deal needs Larkin's approval and has to make sense for Detroit's long-term goals.
Every day Larkin sits costs him money and costs Detroit nothing. Detroit isn't giving him away. He has five years left at $8.7 million a year, and he has scored 30 or more goals five seasons in a row. That is a valuable asset to any team and won't be given away for scraps. The leverage team Larkin thinks they have is nonexistent.
Edvinsson is a 23-year-old restricted free agent with no contract. If he is not signed by December 1, he cannot play this season. This is followed by the report from Elliotte Friedman that Detroit and San Jose have talked about him "pretty deeply".
Why the Edvinsson trade should bring back a center
Friedman also reported that teams calling about Larkin are being asked for young centers who can help now. Detroit would be selling a center while asking for a younger one in return. It's a move most teams looking to acquire Larkin would be reluctant to make. Why give up what could be a Dylan Larkin for over a decade for 5 years of Dylan Larkin now?
A center coming back for Edvinsson changes the Larkin conversation altogether. Detroit could pivot the Larkin trade and focus it around high-end wingers, a defensemen and picks. This would allow a team acquiring Larkin to bolster themselves down the middle while maybe getting slightly weaker around the edges. It's generally a more acceptable position to put yourself in.
Why Michael Misa makes sense
Michael Misa is 19, 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, and is a lottery pick, selected 2nd overall by the Sharks in 2025. He had 21 points in 45 games last season. This year he has six points in about 13:35 a night, stuck behind Macklin Celebrini. More ice time, responsibility, and wingers like the red-hot Viktor Arvidsson, Lucas Raymond, and Alex DeBrincat should push those numbers up.
Now, the effort should be put behind re-signing Edvinsson. But if he has fully closed the door, this is the deal to get done first. Lock up the guy who could be your next 1C for a decade. Use Larkin to fill in the rest of the roster and try to make a run.
What stands in the way
Pierre LeBrun reported that Detroit's first thought would be Misa, but he had no idea whether San Jose would ever entertain it. LeBrun also said other teams have sizable interest in Edvinsson, which could cause a bidding war, which, at the end of the day, is not a bad problem to have.
Then there is the cap. My co-host Ryan pointed out this week that San Jose has about $3.3 million in cap space, and Edvinsson is reportedly looking for $10 million to $11 million, which would make him their highest-paid defenseman. Sending back Dmitry Orlov at $6.5 million is one way to make the math start to work, but he has a 15-team trade list, so he would have to agree.
I have learned one thing from years of covering hockey. GMs find a way to make the cap work when they want a player badly enough. If San Jose wants Edvinsson, they will find the room, and Detroit can ask for a pick and another player on top of Misa to take on extra salary.
Why the Wings need to move Edvinsson first
If Edvinsson tells the team he's done, this is the path. Trade him for a center like Misa, then trade Larkin for wingers, defense and picks. A Larkin deal gets easier once Detroit has reinforced itself up the middle, and the Edvinsson trade, if it is going to be made, will get done before the December 1 deadline.
The room has moved on already. Moritz Seider continues to play like a Norris-caliber defenseman, Emmitt Finnie has taken the first-line center job and Michael Brandsegg-Nygard is generating Calder buzz. The team made a statement win and played with more fire against Chicago once Larkin was out of the picture. Two good trades solidify the group, and nobody has to call it a rebuild.
Both trades are in Shawn Horcoff's hands. Ownership has reportedly made it clear Larkin cannot be given away, and the clock on Edvinsson is running. If Horcoff lands a center for one and a haul for the other, he may have done enough to earn the permanent GM job. If he doesn't, nothing else on his record will matter.
Time to put the big boy pants on.
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