Detroit Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman talked to reporters for the first since captain Dylan Larkin’s trade request became public more than three weeks ago.
Yzerman was made available following Day 2 of the 2026 NHL Draft, on Saturday, June 27. Given the scope of a potential Larkin trade, that topic was, naturally, a topic focus of questions.
Yzerman didn’t take questions on the subject, but he did provide details.
“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-movement clause] to go to.
“Having said that, Dylan has five years remaining on his contract. 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. I cannot make any guarantees or did not make any guarantees that that request could or would be met.
“For the time being, I can confirm that that request was made. I think I will be in a position to maybe answer more questions and be more specific in the future.”
Larkin, who turns 30 on July 30, has a no-trade clause. His initial list of destinations numbered just the Florida Panthers, Minnesota Wild and Vegas Golden Knights, but any team can call Yzerman and pitch a trade.
News leaked on June 4 that Larkin had requested a trade from the only NHL team he has known since the Wings drafted the Waterford native at No. 15 in 2014. The team’s captain since January 2021, Larkin is the only Wings player who has endured all 10 years of consecutive playoff misses.
And this year’s downfall came seven weeks after he’d stood with a gold medal around his neck following the U.S. overtime victory over Canada in the final game of the Olympic tournament. “It’s just the best feeling I’ve ever felt with these skates on,” Larkin told USA TODAY Sports. From that moment of transcendent joy, he returned home to another miserable March.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com.
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She’s co-authored “Red, White & Gold: How American men and women became the kings and queens of Olympic hockey” (order at USA.ChampsBook.com.) Her books: “The Franchise: Detroit Red Wings, A Curated History of Hockeytown,” and “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” and “The Big 50: The Men and Moments that made the Detroit Red Wings” are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Steve Yzerman on Red Wings’ Dylan Larkin trade request
Reporting by Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press | USA TODAY Network
