The summer trade window for Dylan Larkin is closing without a deal, and the direction is now clear: Detroit's captain is expected to report to training camp when it opens in Traverse City on September 17, carrying an active trade request that nobody in the league has yet been able to satisfy. Multiple sources across NHL media now share the same reading — Larkin will be in a Red Wings sweater at camp, however uncomfortable that scenario may be for all parties.
No GM, no trade — a structural deadlock persists
The most concrete obstacle blocking any deal is institutional rather than financial. Former general manager Steve Yzerman was moved into a senior advisory position last month after what the organisation described as a mutual reassessment following the 2025-26 season. Interim GM Shawn Horcoff stepped in but does not have the authority to execute trades — a deliberate limitation designed to preserve flexibility for whoever Detroit eventually hires as its permanent general manager. That hiring process has stretched through the entire summer with no appointment announced.
The financial complexity of the deal compounds the vacancy problem. Detroit has reportedly insisted on receiving a top-six forward — ideally a center — in return for Larkin's $8.7 million annual cap hit. The Minnesota Wild, identified by MLive insider Ansar Khan as Larkin's preferred destination, could not meet that price. Vegas Golden Knights, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars round out the four teams Larkin has approved under his full no-movement clause, and none of the four has reportedly tabled an offer that moved the Red Wings.
Montreal surfaces as a fifth potential destination
TSN's Bryan Hayes raised a new wrinkle on August 26, suggesting that the Montreal Canadiens — rebuilding but with a deep prospect pool — could represent a creative path out of the impasse. Hayes acknowledged that Larkin would first need to add the Canadiens to his waiver list, something that is not confirmed. If Larkin were open to Montreal, Detroit would gain access to a different set of return assets: high-end prospects or draft capital rather than the established forwards the four original destinations might provide.
Several outlets, including Clutchpoints, have since reported that the consensus around the league is that Larkin will not be moved before the season starts regardless of which destination surfaces. The Montreal angle is being treated as a possibility for the February trade deadline rather than a late-August development.
Camp opens September 17 — an awkward dynamic for a new coaching staff
Detroit's training camp opens in Traverse City, Michigan, on September 17. Holding out is not a realistic option for Larkin: missing camp would forfeit a significant portion of his $8 million actual salary and would signal bad faith to potential trade partners, making a deal harder rather than easier. The financial incentive to report is overwhelming.
That leaves coach Todd McLellan — hired this summer to lead Detroit's rebuild — in the unusual position of integrating a captain who has formally asked to leave. Larkin still wears the C, and he is still the team's best player. The Red Wings' regular season opens in mid-October, and Detroit's preseason schedule begins days after camp opens.
The next meaningful inflection point is Detroit's GM hire. Once a permanent general manager is in place with the mandate to complete a transaction, the Larkin situation can move again. Until then, he is a Red Wing — at camp, likely on the ice for opening night, and on the trade block all the same.