Flames Have All the Pieces to Trade for Dylan Larkin

After missing the playoffs for a tenth consecutive year, Dylan Larkin has had enough. The Detroit Red Wings captain has requested a trade, as per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. It is news that won’t go over well whatsoever among Red Wings fans, though there are plenty of other fan bases who would be intrigued by the possibility of adding the 29-year-old centreman.

The Calgary Flames fan base falls into that category. This organization has struggled for decades to find a true number-one centreman, and it’s something that general manager (GM) Craig Conroy has acknowledged he would like to add. That’s what makes Larkin such an intriguing target.

While Larkin is a bit older than the Flames would like, centremen of his calibre rarely become available. He’s hovered around the point-per-game mark for several seasons now, and is showing no signs of slowing down. In 74 games this past season, he recorded a career-high 34 goals and 67 points. Had he avoided injury, he would have surpassed the 70-point marker for the fourth time in his career. Keep in mind, there were two other seasons where he finished with 69 points.

Larkin Checks Plenty of Boxes for the Flames

Aside from his age, there’s really no reason as to why the Flames wouldn’t be interested. Cap space isn’t an issue whatsoever for the organization, which makes Larkin’s $8.7 million cap hit easy to manage. That said, he does have a full no-trade clause, meaning that he would need to be willing to go to Calgary.

That may not be the issue some would think. Despite the Flames’ struggles in recent seasons, Conroy has done a phenomenal job at acquiring draft picks and prospects which have the future looking very bright. They will add another elite prospect in this year’s draft as they are slated to pick sixth overall.

As far as trading partners go, the Flames would be a great match for the Red Wings. This is a team who has six first-round picks over the next three drafts. They also have six second-round picks over that same span, including four this year. In other words, if a player they like becomes available, they have more than enough assets to make a strong push.

As mentioned, the Flames also have an abundance of prospects, to the point where it will be tough to sign them all in the coming years. Eventually, they are going to need to move some of them, and though it may seem rushed to some, this may be the perfect time. After all, Larkin still seems to have plenty of good years ahead of him, and he remains under contract through the 2030-31 campaign.

The question will boil down to what direction the Red Wings want to go. They spent plenty of time in a rebuild, and have acquired several good pieces as a result. Unfortunately, the team as a whole hasn’t improved as management had hoped, which has likely played a major part in Larkin requesting a trade.

As disappointing as it would be for the Red Wings, moving Larkin for future pieces such as draft picks and prospects could really improve their future. After all, they have plenty of young talent who will continue to dominate for years in the likes of Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider.

The one thing the Flames don’t have a ton of is roster players that would be of interest to the Red Wings. One player that could match what they are looking for, however, is Morgan Frost. While not the same calibre of player as Larkin, he does produce at a decent clip, and would help the Red Wings down the middle with the loss of their captain. Another is Blake Coleman, who has just one season remaining on his contract.

Of course, moving Frost or Coleman wouldn’t be nearly enough. A few of the draft picks mentioned above would need to be included, along with a promising prospect. The Red Wings would love to add Cole Reschny, though that would be a tough pill to swallow for the Flames. Perhaps Cullen Potter, who they took late in the first round of the 2025 draft, would be enough to get the job done.

Conroy Needs to Be Cautious

The one thing that has been mentioned a ton following Larkin’s trade request is that his current GM in Steve Yzerman is no pushover. He’s not going to simply hand his captain over to another team just because he requested a trade. If anything, he will have no issue holding onto him until the right offer comes along.

That’s where Conroy needs to be careful. Larkin is a very intriguing player to add, meaning that many teams will be in the running. That could result in a team being forced to overpay in order to land him. The Flames should absolutely reach out, though it’s imperative that Conroy doesn’t overpay to make it happen. If the Red Wings are willing to accept a fair trade proposal, it would make a ton of sense for both sides to make a deal happen.