The Detroit Red Wings could very well be trading away captain Dylan Larkin before long - would a deal to the West Coast make sense?
Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin is likely to be on the move at some point during the offseason after his highly-publicized reported trade request that broke earlier this month.
In the initial stages of the fallout of the trade request, Larkin's preferred three destinations appeared limited to the Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers, and Minnesota Wild - all of whom have Team USA forwards Larkin played with during last year's Four Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Milan Olympics.
Since then, reports have indicated that Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman approached Larkin's representation with the request of expanding his trade team list, which they were apparently receptive toward.
In the meantime, a new club in the Western Conference has emerged as a potential trading partner with the Red Wings.
Could a deal with the San Jose Sharks make sense for Detroit, especially if they were to land 2025 second overall pick Michael Misa in return?
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According to Sharks beat writer Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest, San Jose could very well show interest in Larkin, but wondered if it would ultimately be best for their long-term roster construction.
"Adding a consistent 30-goal center with strong defensive ability wouldn’t hurt the Sharks, but it would raise questions about other areas," Miller wrote. "Michael Misa is still 19 years old and is projected to become the No. 2 center behind Macklin Celebrini. Alexander Wennberg just signed a three-year extension. Pushing those two down the lineup to add Larkin doesn’t seem like the right thing to do."
Miller then said he believes Sharks GM Mike Grier, who keeps his cards close to the vest as is Yzerman's tendency, will at least be placing a call to Detroit.
"I believe Grier will at least call the Red Wings to see what the asking price for Larkin is," he said. "That doesn’t mean the San Jose Sharks are truly interested in acquiring the gold medalist. Since taking over as GM, Grier has kept his interests close to his chest. That hasn’t stopped many reports linking the Sharks to various trade rumors."
The Sharks, led by 2024 first overall pick Macklin Celebrini, are a team on the rise that just missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season, but could soon be a force in the Western Conference.
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